SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, Founders

Michael Hollauf, cofounder and CEO of MeisterLabs. The company works to provide resources to collaborate across digital platforms. Now they are introducing a new service, MeisterTask, which focuses on better task management and a fun user experience. Hear about how MeisterLabs has hit the ground running and is continuing to introduce new tools to help businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Rich Dad Poor Dad What CEO do you follow? — Stewart Butterfield Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Buy a flat in London. Be bold. Do it earlier. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Michael 01:35 – Managing director of MeisterLabs 02:20 – MeisterTask 03:10 – Trello was their inspiration 03:40 – Better task management 04:00 – Something more fun to use and focused on tasks 04:15 – 550000 users 05:10 – 60% of the downloads are through the app store 05:30 – Some features only available in the premium model 06:00 – 5000 paying customers 06:50 – Why people upgrade 07:00 – Better integration 07:20 – Funding 08:00 – MeisterTask revenue for 2015 was $20k 08:20 – MindMeister was $2.5 M 08:35 – Monthly recurring was $220k 09:00 – 5 million users 09:15 – 30000 paying customers Collaboration for mind maps 10:10 – Cost to acquire a new customer is about $30 10:30 – 27% annual churn 11:50 – Average customer stays for about 20 months 12:05 – Monthly plan was changed to a longer plan, which increased retention 12:30 – How MindMeister is growing 12:40 – about $25k/month on Google Ads 13:00 – best keyword is "mind mapping" 13:30 – Competitors 14:00 – Goal for the business is to create a suite of products 14:50 – MeisterTask valuation 16:00 – Michael Hollauf on LinkedIn 16:22 – [email protected] 28:35 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't be afraid to draw from ideas of existing companies. Establish your end goal for your business. Be bold. Start your business early. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Trello – A similar service to MeisterTask that inspired Michael Slack -- Another online tool that inspires Michael and his team Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Jon Lee, CEO of ProsperWorks. Jon has jumped to many different industries, from gaming to tech to banking. As an entrepreneur with success in multiple companies, he believes in going after your business goals as soon as possible. Listen to his journey through his businesses and how he ended up with ProsperWorks. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? — Marc Benioff Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Start your companies earlier. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Jon Lee 02:10 – "Banking to tech to Yahoo to gaming" 02:40 – He saw a need for advertisers when he worked for Yahoo 03:10 – Bizarre Advertising 03:25 – They automated the business 04:10 – How they got revenue 04:35 – Started in their apartment in Palo Alto 04:50 -- $47-million business in two years 05:10 – Applied algorithms to find success 05:35 – Bound to confidentiality on the exit value 06:00 – Balance between cost and revenue 06:40 – How he got into the gaming industry 06:45 – Background in mathematics 07:00 – DNA games 07:15 – They could provide different gaming experiences according to the customer 08:00 – Stickiness is measured according to a customer's engagement 08:20 – Lifetime value helped companies build better games and make more money 09:10 – They sold when Facebook changed their gaming policies 09:50 – They partnered with a larger company 10:10 – ChefVille 10:40 – A good exit for the investors and the company 11:00 – ProsperWorks 12:00 – CRM 12:10 – Partnering with Google Apps 12:30 – Problems with bad data 13:00 – Automating the data entry 13:30 – They have raised of $10 million 14:20 – Founded in 2011 14:30 – A SaaS platform 14:40 – 40000 customers 14:55 -- The Famous Five 15:00 – Profitable sales and marketing 15:15 – Free two-week trial 15:45 – You want a profitable acquisition 16:00 – Focus on building great partnerships and relationships 16:35 – For every $1 spent, they get a $6 return 17:10 – A less mature product needs funding to get customer feedback 17:35 – Team of 67 17:50 – Diminishing marginal returns 18:15 – Invest and get the right type of customer 18:30 – Building up the sales team 19:15 – Average customer pays $49 19:50 – Majority of their contracts are annual 20:30 – Focus to build a useful product 21:00 – Attracting small and medium-sized businesses 21:30 – Revenue churn is negative 23:00 – Jon Lee on LinkedIn or Twitter @prosperworks 3 Key Points: If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, pursue your ideas immediately. Be realistic about what is best for your company. Partner with big companies to gain credibility. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Google Apps – The online tool that has partnered with ProsperWorks Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Kevin Davis, who came up with a creative solution for tech support. After waiting weeks to get his computer back from the Geek Squad, he thought there had to be a quicker, better solution. He created Geekatoo as a platform for people to find tech experts in their own neighborhoods. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Jason Calacanis's Podcast What CEO do you follow? — Not really, I look at other marketplaces. Favorite online tool? — Base Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Make sure that you get your startup out as soon as possible. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Kevin 01:50 – Musician, tech guy, and geek 02:10 – Geekatoo, "like an Uber for tech support" 03:00 – They started out aiming for a nationwide company 04:10 – A platform 04:50 – Founded in 2010 04:55 – First-year revenue was literally nothing 05:30 – It took over a year to get the product out 06:20 – He supported himself by living back home 07:00 – Now it is much quicker to bootstrap a launch 07:45 – They take a percentage for every job that comes through 08:00 – Switched to solving larger-level problems 08:50 – Three different plans and other services 09:30 – Customers are covered for the long term 10:00 – Onboarding takes people from one service to a monthly plan 10:30 – Total customers is 40000 10:50 -- $2.7 M in capital 11:10 – 2015 revenue was almost $4 M 11:25 – Biggest costs 11:50 – Provider payout and overseas center 12:25 – Ad words 13:20 – A focus on positive economics 14:15 – Average project value is about $130 14:40 – Acquisition cost is $20 to $30 15:15 – A large volume of customers had $0 acquisition cost 16:00 – Reasoning behind the merger with HelloTech 17:35 – "A bigger pie" 18:00 – New partners coming forward 18:35 – [email protected] or @geekatoo on Twitter 21:15 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't worry about perfecting your business—get it out there as quickly as possible Do what is best to help your business grow. Find a simple way to communicate with your customers. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Base – Kevin's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Byron Walker, owner of Survival Frog. Byron is passionate about scaling businesses that will change the world. Hear the breakdown of Survival Frog and what launched this company into huge success. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Ready Aim Fire! What CEO do you follow? — No Favorite online tool? — Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Welcome adversity. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Byron 01:40 – Survival Frog 02:00 -- $4.7 million last year 02:20 – Started in 2009 02:30 – Info publishing company 03:00 – One product exploded in 2012 03:30 – 500000 purchases 03:50 – How they got the first sales 04:00 – Paid traffic 04:10 – Banner ads and paid email 04:20 – What is paid email 05:15 – Conversations are around 3 to 5 percent 05:20 – Split testing to find the right price 05:55 – Upsells make money for them 06:15 – Average profit is $5 06:30 – Over a million spent on paid marketing 07:00 – How to buy email lists 07:15 – List brokers 07:40 – Dedicated Emails, Bryan Litman 07:50 -- James R. Whalen 08:30 – Short emails get people to the landing page 08:55 – Now they are 100% physical products 09:50 – Gross margin is up to 35% this year 10:15 – 15 team members 10:40 – Products are sourced and bought in bulk 11:50 – Buying power with companies 12:10 – Forecasting the right amount of inventory 12:45 – LinkedIn or survivalfrog.com 14:40 – Discovery Channel on Blue Collar Backers 16:30 – Hundreds of thousands of units moved 17:00 – Profit in 2015 was $500k 17:35 – Valuation for the business 18:10 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Adjust your business model to improve your margins. Challenges in your life will put you on a better, more rewarding path. Continue doing what you are passionate about. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. James R. Whalen and Dedicated Emails – Email list brokers Evernote – Byron's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Hamza Amir, who is the CEO of Blurbiz. As a marketing guru working for household names like Disney and Coca-Cola, Hamza saw a problem in the industry with mobile videos. He kept hearing the same complaints, but no one was doing anything about it. Hamza came up with the solution when he created Blurbiz. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Mark Suster: msuster on Snapchat Favorite online tool? — Scoutapp Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Move to Silicon Valley faster. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Hamza 01:40 – He is not the guy behind the Chewbacca mask 02:00 – Blurbiz assists with mobile ad videos 03:00 – Up to $5000/month per account 03:20 – 20 customers right now 03:40 – He used to do influencer marketing work 04:05 – He saw a gap in mobile content 04:35 – Blurbiz was the solution to that gap 04:40 – Expected to raise $2 M by the end of the month 05:05 – They are working out terms with a new investor 05:20 – Angel funding 07:00 – His advice for entrepreneurs about investing 07:20 – Competitors 08:00 – "Fundraising is more of an art than a science." 09:05 – How to use the service 09:20 – Create and publish a video from your mobile device 09:50 – Creating a Snapchat through Blurbiz 10:50 – Allowing companies to use different platforms 12:20 – Funds go to the business first. Anything left over goes to salaries. 13:00 – Salary was $2500 last month 13:20 – Twitter: @hamza3amir and Snapchat: hamza3amir 16:00 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: If there is a persistent problem in an industry, come up with a solution. Understand the best types of fundraising for your new business. Make a business that stems from your expertise. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Scoutapp – Hamza's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Danavir Sarria. After working as a freelance copywriter, Danavir wanted to stop working with clients and start working for himself. He created CopyMonk, a service that teaches people how to increase sales by producing effective copy. At only 22 years old, Danavir is making a place for himself as an expert copywriter. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Rework What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuck Favorite online tool? — MindMeister Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Focus on your efforts, and not on your passion. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Danavir 01:40 – CopyMonk 02:15 – Total revenue is $6k in two months 02:30 – How he became a copywriting expert 03:00 – 1700 people on his email list 03:40 – 40 sales over four days 04:20 – How to manage his email list 04:45 – Teach people and build a relationship 06:00 – How you know if someone is a good copywriter 06:30 – Sales and good engagement 07:00 – Knows copy and marketing 08:00 – Connecting with people who read your content 08:15 – Freelance copywriting 09:30 – Working with clients makes it hard to see results 10:20 – How he improved one business 11:30 – Client work vs. working for himself 12:25 – Copymonk.com or their Facebook page 14:25 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Focus on your efforts and your expertise. If you don't like working under someone else, start your own business. When you write copy, find ways to connect to your audience. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. MindMeister – Danavir's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Joe Hyrkin, CEO of Issuu. Joe enjoys working in the publishing industry because it is driven by passion. It is a collective space for people who are moved about something to experience that thing together. Listen as Joe talks about Issuu, which has brought the publishing industry into a modern, digital context. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing about Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Mark Zuckerberg Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Not now. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Put in effort to make an impact. Have a broader learning perspective. Care and effort matter over anything else. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Joe 01:40 – Issuu is a modern media company 02:20 – Tools for publishers 02:45 – Access to premium tools brings in revenue 03:05 – Revenue from Issuu itself 03:40 – Started in Copenhagen 03:55 – A more current platform of digital media 04:15 – He was not part of the original founding team 04:50 – A focus on giving great content to people who are passionate about it 05:20 – It grew through word of mouth and digital marketing 05:30 – Over 3 million publishers have used Issuu 06:20 – Almost 100,000 publishers had paid for the service 06:40 – Primarily recurring revenue payment 07:30 – 90% of revenue is recurring revenue 08:15 – The new subscription plan 08:45 – Most pay $35/month 09:30 – Publishers come and go 10:00 – Customer churn is 2%/month 10:30 – Focus is to help the customers 10:50 – The new plan helps with collaborative efforts 12:00 – Center of the business is in the west coast 12:40 – Raised $21 million 13:30 – His focus is to create products that have an impact 14:40 – Team of 60 people 15:20 – Acquisition costs 15:30 – Not much is spent on marketing 15:50 – They are found through search engines and word of mouth 16:10 – "We're clearly the leader in the space." 16:40 – About $40/customer 17:30 – Customers see the value 18:00 – Why publishing? 18:20 – "It's about what moves people in their lives." 18:50 – Example of Malala's birthday celebration 19:35 – Getting publishers into podcasting 20:00 -- @yankeejoe or [email protected] 22:00 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Get into an industry that you are passionate about. Take an ancient product or service and update it for today's world. Focus on doing what's best for your customers. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack – The online tool Joe uses Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Julie Fredrickson from Stowaway Cosmetics. Have you ever felt like your purse was so heavy it could take someone out with one swing? Every lip gloss, concealer, and eyeliner really adds up! Julie has a found a solution to this problem with Stowaway Cosmetics, which focuses on creating a more mobile product for women on the go. Listen as she tells us how she has transformed the beauty industry with products that actually get used. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Five Dysfunctions of a Team What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuck Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Religiously. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don't be a jerk. Being kind costs you nothing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Julie 01:30 – Stowaway Cosmetics is about mobile products that women can use anywhere 02:10 – Launched 18 months ago 02:25 – Learning to run an effective ecommerce business 02:35 -- $1.5 M in capital 02:45 – Equity 03:15 – Valuation is private at an early stage 03:45 – A good valuation is a balance 05:15 – Gary Vaynerchuck 05:40 – The beauty industry has been giving out products that people don't finish 06:50 – Brands need to see more repeat purchasing 07:25 – Margins for a palette of eyeshadow 08:10 – Effective and a better value than their competitors 08:30 – Direct consumers 08:45 – A normal margin is about 50% through retailers 09:20 – Their margin is about 85% 09:45 – Monopolies in the makeup industry 10:15 – "You should have a choice as a consumer to carry a product that fits your lifestyle." 11:00 – Weighing down your purse with cosmetics 11:35 – Launched in Feb 2015 12:00 – Fundraising started in early 2014 12:15 – Valuation was based on pre-sales 13:25 – Influence in the marketplace 14:05 – Passed $100k in lipsticks sold 14:20 – Their focus changed to repeat purchasing and having a comfortable growing rate 15:20 – Now they spend nothing on marketing 16:25 – They care more about repeat customers than getting more customers 17:30 – On average, women come back to purchase again in 90 days 18:20 – 40% have made at least 3 purchases 19:00 – minimalists vs. maximalists 19:30 – Follow at Julie at @stowaway on Twitter and on Anchor 21:55 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Find a problem and do the research to come up with a good solution. Look at a particular industry and evaluate where its setbacks are. Develop a relationship with your customers. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Google Apps – Julie's favorite online tool for her business Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Phil Alexander, founder and CEO of ConceptDrop. His company has a mission to get your projects done while you're sleeping. You can send your project to ConceptDrop and expect to see the end result within mere hours. Listen as Phil tells us about the incredible growth of his business and what he sees for ConceptDrop in the future. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Wall Street Journal What CEO do you follow? — Sundar Pichai Favorite online tool? — Hubspot Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — You're not going to learn everything in business school. Start selling as soon as you can. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Phil 01:40 – ConceptDrop 02:05 – Servicing over 300 brands 02:25 – A global network of sellers 02:58 – About 30% taken from the sellers 03:25 – They set the prices 03:48 – Upselling to the buyers 04:10 – The average buyer 04:25 – Started in 2012 04:50 – First-year revenue was a couple thousand 05:10 – Funds raised 06:00 – Valuation was between $5 to $7 million 06:20 – Reasons for the valuation come down mostly to growth rate 07:15 – Investors 07:30 – 300 buyers, and under 100 sellers 08:00 – Average seller makes $500 per project, with 4 to 5 projects each month 08:55 – Seeing great growth 09:40 -- $10,000/month to much higher 10:35 – Repurchase rates 11:24 – Total revenue for 2015 was just under $300k 11:55 – Last month, 50 companies used the platform 12:45 – Small, high-quality pool of freelancers 13:10 – A lot of potential in the near future 14:20 – [email protected], @philalexander1 on Twitter 16:30 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: There is no perfect formula for starting a business. High-quality service is a great way to make your business stand out. Assess your business for its potential. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Hubspot – Phil's favorite online tool for marketing and sales Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Yahya Mokhtarzada, co-founder of Truebill. Truebill is a free online tool designed to keep track of all of your monthly subscriptions and find ways to save you money. With so many products requiring a subscription fee, Truebill keeps your bills more organized and paid on time. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Onward What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos Favorite online tool? — Ahrefs Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No chance. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Take bigger risks. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Yahya 1:30 – Truebill keeps track of recurring bills and subscriptions 2:00 – Free for users 2:20 – Looking at transactions and making recommendations 2:50 – Business development deals 3:20 – Launched in January 2016 03:40 – Healthy growth each month 04:00 – Up to $50k/month at the end of the year 04:20 – Saving other people money 04:45 –$1.75 million in capital 05:15 – Agreement for future equity 06:20 – User data 06:40 – Deals with businesses for advertising 07:50 – Introducing users to the products of those businesses 09:00 – Total users signed up are 50000 09:25 – Activation metrics 09:50 – Different options to explore for the future 10:30 – "the low-hanging fruit" 11:10 – blog.truebill.com 13:10 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Consider taking bigger risks when you can afford to do so. Focus your business model on helping other people. Start with "the low-hanging fruit" to get your business going. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Ahrefs – Yahya's favorite online tool for assistance with SEO. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Raj Bhaskar, CEO and cofounder of Hurdlr. Hurdlr is an online tool that helps freelancers and entrepreneurs track their income and taxes. It helps people save money by calculating deductions within seconds. Nathan and Raj will discuss the beginning of Hurdlr and where they are headed in the future. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The One Thing What CEO do you follow? — Gary Keller Favorite online tool? — Google Drive, Freshbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don't be so serious. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:03 – Nathan introduces Raj 02:15 – VisualHOMES acquisition price 02:35 – Revenue model 03:10 – Using proceeds from that as an investor and for Hurdlr 03:25 – Hurdlr launched a couple years ago 03:40 – It tracks finances and taxes for freelancers 04:25 – Competitors 04:40 – "Like Mint but for business." 05:15 – Quick process compared to competitors 05:55 – They integrate with Freshbooks 06:20 – The business model 06:30 – They are currently pre-revenue 06:45 – Monthly or annual fee 07:10 – Other mobile solutions are different 07:40 – They have no desktop product 08:00 – Mobile is fast 08:30 – Founded 2.5 years ago 08:50 – Costs started in 2014 09:10 – Capital has been over $1.5 million 09:50 – 16 fulltime employees 10:25 – Usage metrics 10:45 – Mileage tracking 11:15 – Syncing with credit card 11:30 – Tens of thousands users, with 70% active once a month 12:00 – Pricing plan 12:20 – Simple and "part of the customer experience" 12:40 – "Pricing should bring a smile to your face." 13:00 – Referrals 13:15 – Tracking savings through deductions 13:40 – The option to continue paying a monthly fee 14:10 – hurdlr.com with real-time chat 16:15 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Come up with a pricing model that you would feel comfortable paying. Find a niche that sets you apart. Use new technology to come up with helpful solutions. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Google Drive and Freshbooks -- Raj's favorite tools, besides Hurdlr Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Cory Gregory, a fourth-generation coalminer who has made it to the top in the fitness industry. Cory has now developed his personal brand on his website where people can pay $8.99 per month to get his top workout plans and his daily articles and videos on how to get into incredible shape. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Rich Dad Poor Dad What CEO do you follow? — Bill Phillips Favorite online tool? — Quickbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Have a strong strategy early. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:03 – Nathan introduces Cory 01:30 – Most money is in selling memberships and books on his internet business 02:00 -- $8.99/month membership 02:15 – Products in 100 countries 02:30 – Cofounder of MusclePharm 02:55 – Now a public company 03:15 – "A lot of Wall Street and a lot of boardrooms just really wasn't for me." 03:40 – Now owns 3% 04:00 – Went public in 2010 04:30 -- $40 million raised in capital 05:35 – "I learned a ton…. It changed my life forever." 05:50 – He left the business about 9 months ago. 06:20 – "That thing's bleeding cash." 06:35 – Cory was in the programming and products side 06:50 – Proper management was a downfall 07:20 – "It was a rise to the top." 07:40 -- $160 million in revenue 08:00 – Marketing was huge 08:40 -- Creating a personal brand 09:00 – "I feel blessed." 09:20 – First gym started for $5000 09:30 -- The Old School Gym 09:40 -- $100k in memberships 10:00 – Biggest expenses 10:40 – six-figures in profit 11:20 – Revenue is more than $100k 11:40 – MusclePharm started at 30 years old 11:55 – corygfitness.com 12:05 – five 4-week plans every month 12:30 – Articles and videos every day 13:00 – Thousands of people use his monthly plan 13:20 – The reason for his vagueness 14:10 – Total revenue was $34k in his first month for his personal brand 15:20 – "There is nobody on the planet who can say they have done what I've done." 16:20 – corygfitness.com, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram 16:40 – Business and Biceps podcast 19:00 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't be confined to the environment you were raised in. Develop your personal brand. Find ways to make your service stand out. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Quickbooks -- Cory's favorite invoicing tool Business and Biceps – Cory's podcast Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Vincenzo Ruggiero, founder of Prospect.io. Vincenzo has a wife and two children, with one born just days ago. With the chaos of a new baby, Vincenzo has still found a way to support himself and his family and manage a new and growing business. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Getting Real, Rework What CEO do you follow? — Joel Gascoigne Favorite online tool? — Freshbooks, Slack, Trello, Appear Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Be humble. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan introduces Vincenzo 01:40 – Prospect.io is a sales software 02:00 – Recurring revenue from monthly plans 02:20 – Launched in January 2016 02:40 – June revenue was $17k 03:15 – Customer pays more the more they use it 04:10 – Average is $45/month 04:30 – How they have driven customers 04:50 – word of mouth 05:50 – Different types of customers 06:20 – Self-funded 06:45 – Team of 3 07:30 – The system in Belgium makes Vincenzo the sole founder 08:00 – Vincenzo started with other web businesses before he started Prospect.io 09:10 – His family (two kids) 09:35 – How he supports himself 09:45 – He lives off of savings and a very low salary 11:10 – The company breaks even 11:30 – Growth each month 11:50 – How they got such fast growth 13:15 – Customer churn is 6% monthly 14:25 – Customer acquisition cost is $50 15:00 – Lifetime value is $570 15:30 -- @VincenzoR on Twitter 17:35 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Plan out financially how you be able to afford to start a new business. Don't let your arrogance get in the way of your success. A success work life does not have to take away from a success home life. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack, Trello, and Appear – Online tools that Vincenzo uses for his business Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Andrew Kemendo, founder of Pair. Andrew was in Guam as an Airforce Intelligence Officer when he came up with an augmented reality idea to try out furniture and materials without having to buy or ship anything. The Airforce needed to build new facilities, and Andrew thought his idea would save a lot of money and headache. Now his company Pair is used by several large manufacturers to help people find the right furniture for their homes. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? — Justin Kan Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Never. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Keep learning about paradigm shifting technologies. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan introduces Andrew 01:40 – Pair is a tool to try out home furnishings before you buy them 02:30 – Free for consumers 02:45 – Andrew's experience in Guam and how he came up with Pair 03:45 – They started working with architects 04:10 – Launched fulltime in 2015 05:00 – Funding over $900k 05:20 – First-year revenue was $10000/month 06:20 – Pilots in big cities 06:30 – Monthy and up-front fees 07:15 – Revenue in 2016 07:50 – 15 manufacturers and over 2000 products 08:30 – Transition for the company 09:10 – Architects to home furnishers 10:20 – Larger adjustable market 10:40 – Projection for $1.5M 11:20 -- 20000 products placed each month by app users 12:15 – CPC and CPM 12:55 – Ability to scale 13:25 – Pair on Twitter and Facebook 13:45 -- @andrewkemendo on Twitter and andrewkdot on Snapchat 15:45 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Embrace new technology to create a solution to a problem. Don't be afraid to change your business model to help your business grow. Adjust your product to benefit a larger group of consumers. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack – The online tool Andrew uses to stay organized at Pair Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Timur Daudpota, cofounder of Blurbiz. His business allows companies to create and edit videos and post them directly to Snapchat. Listen to Timur share his journey as an entrepreneur. He started out with skateboards, and now he's jumped to Snapchat. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Sketch Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Read more books. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Timur 02:00 – Blurbiz is a SaaS platform 03:00 – They found a gap in Snapchat 03:35 – Customers can link their Snapchat account and post videos through Blurbiz 04:20 – Working with publishers 04:40 – They charge $2k to $5k per month 05:00 -- $60k in revenue last month 05:15 – Too early for churn 05:45 – Customer acquisition 06:20 – They pay themselves a $60k salary 06:35 – Fundraising is $425k total 07:15 – Valuation 08:20 – Team size is 8 08:30 – Commission based 09:45 – Based out of Mountain View 10:00 – Started with a skateboarding company 10:40 – Bringing back a classic skateboard design 11:00 – LED skateboard wheels 11:30 – Received prize money for their company 12:00 – Finding a better way to sell 12:20 – They connected their product with social media and sales jumped 13:00 – Equity for Blurbiz 13:45 – Follow Blurbiz on Snapchat 14:00 – 20000 views for every post on Snapchat 16:40 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Constantly find ways to improve your business. If you find a gap in a certain company or industry, fill it. Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Sketch – Timur's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Cody Bradstreet. Cody has a background in accounting and was working for Dell when she realized she needed a backup plan for work. She opened up her own franchise of The Lice Place, where people can have lice manually moved without harsh chemicals. Find out how an accountant got her hands into the lice industry. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Her own future book What CEO do you follow? — No Favorite online tool? — Quickbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Love yourself. Forward fixes everything. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:00 – Nathan introduces Cody 01:20 – Started in accounting 01:40 – Worked at Dell 02:10 – She left Dell to "chase my dreams in the lice industry." 02:30 – Started as a backup plan for possible layoffs 03:20 – She approached a small business, The Lice Place 03:50 – The transition 04:25 – Franchising 04:40 – Total revenue for the year before she bought it was under $50k 05:10 – Service to manually remove lice 05:50 – She did her own valuation 06:50 – Royalties 07:10 – A standard franchise model 08:00 – A goal to buy the whole business 08:50 – Why to buy instead of build 09:10 – Revenue for the last year was $250k 09:50 – Employees are the biggest expenses 10:10 – Advice for future franchisers 10:40 – "Get a good lawyer." 10:55 – Connect with Cody on LinkedIn 12:45 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Put yourself out there to get into a certain industry or business. Consider buying a business instead of building a new one. Make sure you read the fine print before you start your own franchise. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Quickbooks – Cody's accounting tool Evernote – Nathan's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Kenneth Lee, founder of TravelFlan. Kenneth has a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and has developed a business that makes travelling easier. TravelFlan has partnered with major airlines as well as thousands of individual customers to give them a personal digital travelling assistant. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Quit school faster. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Kenneth 01:30 – TravelFlan 01:55 – Customers pay on average $15 02:30 – Three sources of revenue 03:05 – History of the business 03:30 – He and his partner loved to travel 04:14 – First-year revenue in 2015 $120k 04:50 – They have a free service and a premium service 05:15 – 2000 customers 05:25 – May 2016 revenue from commissions from airlines was $25k 06:00 – Two large airlines use their data 06:30 – May total revenue was $50k 06:55 – Fundraising 07:30 -- $5 Million valuation 07:40 – Most of the team is in Asia 08:25 – Churn is not as applicable in this type of business 09:30 – Customer acquisition 09:57 – Team of 11 people 10:10 – travelflan.com or [email protected] 23:40 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Start with a very focused business and then expand as you see success. If you have a good idea, pursue it immediately. Find different ways to make revenue. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Evernote – Kenneth's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Peter Voogd. Peter helped several millennials make six figures and realized he could make a business out of it. His Gamechanger's Academy helps promising entrepreneurs become successful within months. Under 30 himself, Peter is a best-selling author and a recognized leader for entrepreneurs and millennials. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Millionaire Fastlane What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Infusionsoft, ScheduleOnce, Kajabi Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Stay strategic and intentional. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Peter 02:05 – Gamechanger's Academy 02:30 – Launched in 2013 02:45 – Connections for young entrepreneurs 03:10 – His past experience 03:30 – "Built a culture of excellence" 04:20 – He helped several young professionals become successful 05:00 – "I wanted to shift the culture for millennials." 05:15 – gamechangersmovement.com 05:25 – Payment system 06:05 -- $297/month for the Platinum plan 06:50 – About 70% are on a yearly plan 07:10 – The Rookie plan 07:30 – Churn 08:00 – People typically stay for 7 to 8 months if they're not on the yearly plan 08:50 – A focus beyond just the numbers 10:10 – Good retention for the industry 10:30 – How to get new people to find the site 10:50 – Podcast, book, content 11:05 – Referral program 11:20 – Biggest expenses 11:30 – Affiliate costs 11:45 – Organic traffic 12:30 – 6 Months to 6 Figures 13:00 –Self-published 13:15 – 135000 books sold, plus audio books 13:30 – Marketing 14:45 – Bulk purchases 15:25 – Peterjvoogd on Instagram and peterjvoogd.com 17:45 – Peter's email list 18:00 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: It starts with your own effort and drive. Consider how you can improve your own culture. Make a business out of what you are good at. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Infusionsoft -- Peter's favorite online tool ScheduleOnce -- Peter's scheduling tool Kajabi – Peter's membership site portal Gamechanger's Academy – A top source for millennials and entrepreneurs Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Jodie Fox, a woman who has solved the problem of constantly hunting for the right pair of shoes. Her company Shoes of Prey has raised over $24 million for its system that allows every pair of shoes to be completely customized. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Getting Things Done What CEO do you follow? — Tom Ford Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Do everything before you're ready. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan introduces Jodie 01:50 – Shoes of Prey—Women can design their own shoes 02:20 – Peer play 02:55 – Women wanted a physical interaction with their shoes 03:15 – First offline store 03:40 – Costs for stores 04:14 – Launched in 2009 04:20 – Funding to date is $24M 04:35 – Every pair is custom made 04:58 – Their website has a gallery for inspiration 05:10 – It's a social interaction about shoes 06:05 – Customization can start with an inspiration shoe or from scratch 06:40 – Customers have complete freedom 07:25 – How much time people spend making a shoe 08:15 – Acquisition costs 09:45 – Mass-produced shoes are cheaper to produce 10:30 – Pairs of shoes sold 10:55 – Some people design and never buy 11:15 – Their investors 12:00 – Competitors 12:25 – Average sale is $225 13:03 – Team of over 220 13:30 – Production in China 13:40 – They built their own factory there 14:15 – A video of the process at their factory 14:40 – First-year revenue was less than $50k 15:00 – Jodie was not in the fashion industry when she started her company 16:40 – She was brainstorming with friends on the beach 17:15 – Her cofounders are her ex-husband and their groomsman 18:10 – Shoes of Prey wants to eventually grow to other clothing 19:20 – Pay per customer 19:40 – 75% is word of mouth 20:05 – Campaigns 20:50 – Testing offline methods 21:25 – youtube.com/jodiefox 21:35 – jodieannfox on Instagram or @jodiefox on Twitter 23:40 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Find a niche and you'll have a business with no real competitors. Don't let complicated relationships get in the way of your business's success. Make your business a unique experience for the customer. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack – Jodie's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Frank Ricotta, CEO of BurstIQ, which helps professionals and businesses in the healthcare industry connect. Frank has been through the grinder as an entrepreneur. Huge crash-and-burn businesses have gotten him to this point. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Executive in Action What CEO do you follow? — PayPal Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Trust your instincts, and don't lose your balance. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan introduces Frank 01:44 – BurstIQ is a platform service 02:00 – They help their customers create a network 02:53 – Founded in April 2015 03:05 – Frank had been working in health and saw an issue 03:24 – There are three founders 03:52 – First-year revenue was $150k 04:05 – Involvement in several other startups 04:25 – His "crash and burn" story 05:29 – The cofounders 05:55 – May 2016 customers: 10 06:20 – Average pay per customer is $250k to $1M 06:35 – A focus on the base plan 07:00 – $75k/month 07:35 – No patterns yet for churn 08:45 – Customer acquisition cost 09:00 – Inside sales and partners 09:15 -- $150k to $200k 09:40 – 12 team members 10:00 – What ratio Frank likes to see 10:40 – "Work to keep your head above water" 11:09 – The company's capital 11:37 – Valuation for BurstIQ 12:40 – They want to raise $5M 13:10 – Based in Denver 13:55 – Techstars 14:25 -- @fricotta or Frank Ricotta on LinkedIn 16:26 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Come up with a business that makes something simpler. Being an entrepreneur means experiencing failure along with success. If you don't stretch yourself to reach high goals, no one will believe that you can ever achieve them. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack – Frank's favorite online tool to connect with coworkers and customers Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Ari Meisel, host of the Less Doing Podcast. Ari's book Less Doing, More Living has sold over 30,000 copies and has been translated into six other languages. Even with four children, Ari stays on top of his consulting business that continues to bring in more revenue every month. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Art of War What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Inbox by Google Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Test ideas before you jump into them. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:30 – Nathan introduces Ari 02:00 – Ari is a productivity consultant/coach 02:20 – Virtual company has brought in the most revenue 02:35 – They offer on-demand project managers 03:00 – Customers pay a membership fee and then an hourly fee for service 03:30 – First-year revenue was $200000 04:15 – 170 current customers 04:40 – They find customers through Ari's following and the podcast 05:50 – Ari is involved with his customers 06:10 – It's an expensive service because of the quality and variety of what they can do 06:45 – Ari likes connecting resources for other businesses and finding talent 07:15 – They are really involved in all of the businesses that hire them 07:35 – "An easy-bake oven for a business" 08:40 – Average customer pays about $1150/month 09:20 – In May they had $46000 in revenue, and they are growing every month 10:00 – His business takes care of a lot of the daily tasks for business owners and companies 10:50 – The company is self-funded 11:05 – They decline anyone who wants to invest in the company 11:58 – Less Doing Podcast 12:10 – 30000 downloads per month 12:20 – A weekly show 12:35 – Average downloads per episode for the first couple months: 3000 13:30 – Sponsorship revenue for the podcast 14:08 – Ari's books, Less Doing, More Living and The Art of Less Doing 15:00 – He got an advance with Random House/Penguin for Less Doing, More Living 15:15 – How he got an advance as a first-time author 16:20 – 30000 copies sold 18:00 – Lessdoing.com 20:00 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Create the best service and business that you possibly can. Find your specific talent and put yourself in that industry. It is possible to balance a busy life with your business. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Inbox by Google – Ari's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Nick Kullin of Second Flight Consultancy. Nick started his first business at just thirteen years old. As he continued with tons of other jobs after high school, he realized he wanted to go back to how he felt as a thirteen-year-old. He wanted to be an entrepreneur again. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Think and Grow Rich What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Yesware Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Instead of working for people, just start your business at a young age. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan introduces Nick 01:35 – He started his first business at age 13 02:15 – He connected people to new music artists 02:45 – He automated his system 03:05 – He got around $100 to $150 from each band 03:30 – He made over $20k with that business 03:50 – Then he worked for a golf resort doing marketing and sales 04:50 – He helped the resort get a lot more publicity and better marketing 05:25 – Then about a year later he went into health and fitness 04:45 – He wanted to surround himself with successful people 06:30 – He got an opportunity with Time Warner Cable 06:40 – Later, he got out of corporate and worked with a small business 07:10 – His next job paid him $120000, but he realized he wanted to get back into entrepreneurship 07:55 – A lot of money does not make you happy. 08:40 – Marketing was his passion, and people saw the value of his skills 09:20 – His business was called Second Flight Consultancy 10:00 – First-year revenue was $12000 10:40 -- $175k in 2015, and projected to be over a million in 2016 11:13 – Nick developed a "sales robot" that works with LinkedIn 12:00 – Ten team members 12:25 – Profit is usually 70% of the revenue 13:10 – He started out doing a lot of the work on his own 14:00 – You need to do really great work with proven results 15:10 – He has a variety of customers 15:40 – Nick's academy is a coaching product 16:00 – 30% of their revenue 16:15 -- secondflightacademy.com 18:25 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't be afraid to start your own business from a young age. A large salary doesn't necessary buy happiness. Make your passion and your skills into a business. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Yesware – Nick's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Lillie Cameron, a brand new mom who also runs her own business. She started EcoSafe Spaces with her now husband. The company provides design and building services for green, eco-friendly construction. She also works with Rackspace, which has recently revamped its policies for maternity and paternity leave. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Advantage, with its six-question model What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Trello Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Don't be afraid to fail. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan introduces Lillie 01:50 – Green construction 02:10 – They had a friend who lost a child during pregnancy because of construction chemicals 02:30 – EcoSafe Spaces 02:40 – Design and building services 03:10 – Their recent project in downtown Austin 03:50 – Around $500000 jobs 04:15 – "The most energy efficient homes in the city" 04:30 – The sales pitch 04:50 – People in Austin understand sustainability 05:35 – Opened in 2007 05:45 – Margins vary – fixed rate vs. cost plus contract 06:10 – Fixed rate 06:45 – The contract is much more flexible 07:20 – Fixed rate deal that went bad 07:35 – Now they do mostly cost plus contracts 07:50 – Up to 7 projects at a time 08:30 – The plan for EcoSafe 08:55 – There are benefits to being a small business 09:20 – Lillie also works with Rackspace 09:25 – Recruited in 2009 by a former boss 09:55 – She did project management work, but wore multiple hats 10:45 – It is utility-based computing 11:10 – How this type of service was first received 12:30 – There are many different types of customers 13:20 – They have a unique angle 13:35 – Rackspace is a great place for new parents to work 14:10 – Maternity leave in this country 14:45 – Canada does a year of leave 15:00 -- Paternity and maternity leave needs awareness 15:55 – ecosafespaces.com and Lillie Cameron on LinkedIn 17:50 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Find a business idea that solves an important problem. Consider maternity leave in the US and how it needs to improve. You can balance it all, as a business owner and a parent. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Trello – Lillie's favorite online tool for staying organized Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

James Turner, of Turner Creative. James started his business after the company he worked for picked up and moved five hours away. He didn't want to make the move, so he took his skills and created his own conversion rates optimization company. Now he's starting out another company, called Snap. He has caught the entrepreneurial bug and is making more money now than when he was working in the corporate world. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Influence What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Airstory Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — "I am trying really hard, but I also have a toddler." If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — "You're not going to miss out if you stay home to work on yourself." Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan's introduction 01:36 – What is conversion rate optimization? 02:05 – Turner recently worked with Conversion Sciences 02:45 – Getting more signups for a free trial 03:45 – Good and bad conversion rates 04:50 – "People have a hard time putting themselves in the heads of their customers." 05:25 – The value of customer research 06:20 – How to collect data 06:30 – Talk to your customers 07:04 – Using testimonials and reviews 08:05 – Find which problem is most common in your reviews 08:20 – How Turner Creative got started 09:00 – First-year revenue was $36000 09:30 – 2015 total revenue was about $45000 09:40 – Payment per project: $10000 for 3 months 10:00 – He will revamp/renew a company's website 10:45 – Currently 2 customers 10:55 – "I only want to do two retainers at a time." 11:05 – James is starting a new company, Snap 11:25 – Focusing on quick copy 11:50 – His partner is Lianna Patch, of Punchlinecopy.com 12:00 – "Conversion optimized copy on demand" 12:20 – Contact him at turnercreative.ca or snapcopy.co. 14:30 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Take your skills and find a way to be financially successful. Take time to consider customer reviews and testimonials—utilizing this information will make your company better. Set aside time to take care of yourself and better yourself. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Airstory – A new online tool for content writing Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Sieva Kozinsky, founder and CEO of StudySoup. The online marketplace now has over 5000 buyers and 1000 sellers. These sellers provide their notes and study guides for college courses. StudySoup helps their sellers learn how to be entrepreneurs and provides a unique service to college students everywhere. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Elon Musk's biography What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — "I get 6.5 to 7.5 hours." If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — "Pay attention to the signs. If something isn't working, ditch it and move forward." Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan's introduction 02:25 – StudySoup is "an education marketplace for college students" 01:55 – It's a monthly subscription 02:25 – Sellers take notes, and the buyers use those class notes 03:10 – Students get "karmas" to access notes and study guides 04:10 – the "karma" system 05:10 – The backstory 05:45 – StudySoup was tested at a few schools and took off 06:10 – Year-one revenue was $45k 06:25 – Now they have over 5000 subscribers 06:45 – 1000 note takers 07:09 – Funding is over a million 07:35 – They used convertible notes 08:15 – Team size 08:30 – The team is distributed and remote 09:05 – Slack, Google Hangouts 09:25 – Trajectory 09:55 – They will hit almost $4 million this year 10:05 – A focus on getting more note takers 10:40 – The revenue is seasonal according to class schedules 11:15 – Revenue February to May is pretty consistent 11:45 – About 4000 buyers used the service in March 12:25 – All buyers and sellers are very active 12:45 – Average purchase size is $42 13:15 – A study guide is the best-selling item 13:40 – What happens after a student graduates? 14:15 – Expanding into grad school and high school in the future 14:40 – Buyers pay 15 to 20 dollars each month 15:25 – Churn is 8% to 12%, lower than the average for the industry 16:20 – Acquisition cost 16:30 – Training sellers to be entrepreneurs 17:10 – It's too early to see lifetime value of a customer 17:40 – Contact Sieva on Twitter: @SievaKozinsky 19:40 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: When you find an idea that works, go for it. Distributed, remote teams are very doable with today's online tools. Look for the signs that tell you the direction your business is headed. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Slack and Google Hangouts – The online tools that StudySoup uses to stay in touch with a distributed team. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Anant Kale, cofounder of AppZen. Anant had a job that paid him $200000 a year when he decided to go off on his own and start a business. Hear the success story of his artificial intelligence software which has "transformed the back office" for companies everywhere. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Who Says Elephants Can't Dance What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favourite online tool? — Rapportive and Calendly Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Start a business earlier than you think you should. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Anant Kale 01:55 – AppZen uses artificial intelligence software in offices 02:45 – It detects information on employees and statistics automatically 03:30 – Founded in 2013 04:00 – 2015 revenue was just under $1 million 04:45 – They have 22 customers 05:00 – Average contract price is $150000 05:20 – Capital raised is $14 million 06:10 – 14 people on the team 06:40 – No churn so far 07:15 – Average customer acquisition cost is very low 08:15 – Too early for lifetime value 09:05 – Evaluation for the company 10:15 – Goal is to double revenue in 2016 13:00 – Anant is a cofounder 13:50 – The company was split according to responsibilities and contributions 14:40 – He always wanted to really build a company on his own 16:00 -- The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't put off starting your own business. A large salary doesn't mean that you will be satisfied with your job. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, follow that desire. Resources Mentioned: Freshbooks – The online tool Nathan uses to keep track of receipts Hostgator – The program Nathan uses for his website Rapportive and Calendly – Anant's favorite online tools Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Rand Fishkin, who calls himself "The Wizard of Moz." He founded Moz in 2007, and they made $39 million in revenue in 2015. Join us as Rand shares his unique journey with Moz and his own insights to what makes businesses like Moz successful. Listen as he tells hid difficult experience of deciding to handover the reigns of CEO for his own company. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Billionaire Who Wasn't What CEO do you follow? — Heather Brunner Favorite online tool? — Buzzsumo Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Not quite. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Software engineering. Stick with the girl you're dating—she'll be a great wife. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Rand Fishkin 01:35 – Moz is a software company that assists with SEO 02:05 – Founded in 2007, but first existed as a blog 02:35 – The blog was an advertising tool for Moz 03:20 – They had 400 people sign up in 6 months 04:00 – 2007 revenue was $850k 04:25 – Rand admits to being an amateur at the beginning of Moz 05:20 – Great marketing and retention are super important to consider 06:25 – 2015 total revenue is $39 million 06:40 – Churn was 6.3% in April 2016 07:30 – The logic behind good and bad churn rates 08:00 – Churn is not the only thing that matters 08:45 – It's ok to start out with a higher churn 09:15 – Different types of churn 09:35 – Upsell revenue 10:08 – They have not hit net negative revenue churn. 11:00 – Customer churn and revenue churn 12:10 – Average customer cost is $119/month 12:33 – Customer acquisition is more complicated because Moz has several different products 13:25 – Lifetime value 14:20 – They want to be conservative with marketing 15:00 – They want to lower churn 16:05 – The Costco example 16:48 – Rand replaced himself as CEO 17:05 – His own decision due to issues with his mental health 17:45 – It was a painful experience 18:00 – Now he is feeling much better 18:15 – He now runs a couple of their products and does promotion and content creation 19:05 – moz.com/rand or @randfish on Twitter 20:35 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: A churn rate is much more complicated that one month's percentage. Find ways to have conservative marketing costs. Let your challenges take you to new and more fulfilling places. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Buzzsumo – Rand's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Ep 2 Kim Garst Listen to The Top if you want to hear from the worlds TOP entrepreneurs on how much they sold last month, how they are selling it, and what they are selling - 7 days a week in 20 minute interviews! Join the Top Tribe at NathanLatka.com/TheTop The Top is FOR YOU if you are: A STUDENT who wants to become the CEO of a $10m company in under 24 months (episode #4) STUCK in the CORPORATE grind and looking to create a $10k/mo side business so you can quit (episode #7) An influencer or BLOGGER who wants to make $27k/mo in monthly RECURRING revenue to have the life you want and full CONTROL (episode #1) The Software as a Service (SaaS) entrepreneur who wants to grow to a $100m+ valuation (episode #14). Your host, Nathan Latka is a 25 year old software entrepreneur who has driven over $4.5 million in revenue and built a 25 person team as he dropped out of school, raised $2.5million from a Forbes Billionaire, and attracted over 10,000 paying customers from 160+ different countries. Oprah gets 60 minutes or more to make her guests comfortable to then ask tough questions. Nathan does it all in less than 15 minutes in this daily podcast that's like an audio version of Pat Flynn's monthly income report. Join the Top Tribe at NathanLatka.com/TheTop

George Arison, founder and CEO of Shift, an online marketplace that has transformed the experience of buying and selling a car. George saw a problem with the process of buying a car, and he wanted to make it simpler. He utilized virtual technology to create a completely unique service for buying and selling a vehicle. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – I don't really have one. What CEO do you follow? — Tim Cook Favorite online tool? — LinkedIn Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — That I should learn how to code. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces George 01:44 – Shift is a new way to buy or sell a car 02:05 -- There is no physical lot, everything is virtual 02:35 – They will sell cars locally, to people in that car's area 03:20 – "Car enthusiasts" 03:38 – Great design and transparency 04:10 – How they make money 04:25 – They agree on a minimum price with the seller, and they make money on any higher price that they sell the car for. (They split the difference) 05:00 – The buyer pays a fee 05:45 – They help buyers with car insurance and warranties 06:10 – Founded in 2013 06:30 – They started selling cars in 2014 06:45 – They are selling hundreds in a month 07:25 – Capital has been successful 08:05 – Their service is unique 09:15 – They offer cars that are several years old, because people can test drive them 09:55 – First-year revenue involved car inspections for sellers 10:45 – That revenue was $2000 11:00 – $150k in 2015 11:20 – Pricing cars is complicated and takes a lot of trial and error 12:00 – Mispriced cars effected their revenue in the beginning 12:30 – They are growing quickly and have focused on increasing revenue 13:35 – 20% growth month to month in 2015 14:15 – Team of 270 people 14:50 – Why he got into this business 15:05 – He started with Taxi Magic 15:25 – He had to get a green card, so he moved to a bigger business, Google 15:55 – He then left Google to start Shift 16:30 – He had a leased car, and when he wanted to buy it he found that financing a car is very complicated 17:50 – Find George Arison on LinkedIn 19:55 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: If you see a problem in a particular industry, find a solution and make it your business. Offer a service that is unique. Use today's technology to redefine industries with an up-to-date approach. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. LinkedIn – George's favorite tool to find the best people to work for Shift Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Amit Kothari. He spent ten years in London dealing with some of the largest companies and organizations in the world and helping them with collaboration technology. After seeing a lot of failures in that industry, he realized he needed a very structured process with unstructured, human conversations to make his business succeed. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Innovator's Dilemma What CEO do you follow? — Jack Welch and Warren Buffett Favorite online tool? — DropBox, Xero Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — "Never confuse movement with action." –Hemingway Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Amit 01:45 – Tallyfy 02:05 – The company's program helps remove routine processes throughout the day 02:30 – They started in Chili with a grant in 2014 03:00 – Then they got a grant from the US 03:30 – First year had no revenue 03:45 – $300k in 2015, with $600k total 04:15 – Paying customers 04:50 -- $39/month is the average that customers pay 05:15 – Monthly revenue 06:00 – They have several different services and processes 06:35 – Pure MRR in April -- $4000 07:10 -- Professional services is a huge chunk of revenue 08:20 – Starting out with professional services brings in a lot of revenue 08:50 – Team size is 5, with a few freelancers 09:05 – Total capital $500000 10:10 – Amit and his wife are cofounders 10:25 – They have a rule to stop talking about work after 6 pm 11:00 – They believe in their business 11:45 -- tallyfy.com and @tallyfy on Twitter 12:00 – Consistency is the secret to a growing company's success 14:20 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Start a business that you believe in. Look for grants and funding opportunities. If you want to scale your business, you have to put effort into consistency. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. The Innovator's Dilemma – Amit's favorite business book DropBox – One of Amit's favorite online tools, that allows businesses to share files online Xero – Online accounting tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Kendall Antonelli, who started a cheese shop with her husband. Antonelli's Cheese Shop has taken off, and last year their revenue was $1.9 million. Kendall and her husband have found that they secret to their success is storytelling. They share the personal stories behind their cheeses and other products. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Good to Great, Uncontainable, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits Favorite online tool? — QuickBooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Keep an adventurous spirit. Do something every day that betters yourself. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Kendall 01:40 – Kendall and her husband got the idea on their honeymoon 02:25 – Her husband wanted to find a better job, in cheese 03:00 – He decided to look into the business 03:40 – Kendall was working in social work 04:20 – They always wanted to work together 04:45 – She grew up in a farm town, and they "fell in love with the story of cheese." 05:10 – They looked at their strengths 05:35 – Antonelli's Cheese LLC 06:00 – Their rent 07:10 – Multiple business models 07:20 – Her and her husband have separate roles 08:25 – Open-book management 08:40 – $1.9 million in 2015 09:05 – "Passion with Purpose" 09:25 – Their retail is the most successful 10:00 – Cost is per pound 11:00 – Making cheese is a labor-intensive industry 12:15 – They decided to not be cheese makers, but be out of the kitchen and "storytelling" 13:15 – All the costs behind a wheel of cheese 13:40 – Team of six or seven people 14:05 – An artisanal journey 14:30 – Telling the story of the cheese 14:45 – Skews were as high as 2000 15:15 – Most lucrative products 16:15 – Wholesale in 2015 was about half of their revenue 16:45 – Cheese of the Month Club 17:15 – Parties and catering 17:45 – Their wholesale market is more flexible for clients 18:25 – Dealing with a perishable item/shelf life 19:00 – They are looking into investors 19:25 – What they pay themselves 20:20 – They travel to cheese conventions around the world 20:55 – They want to be in control of their business 21:30 – Professional and personal life can coexist 24:00 – Antonellischeese.com 26:20 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Make your passion your business. Design a career that lets you accomplish your life goals. Your professional and personal life can coexist. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. QuickBooks – The accounting tool for Antonelli's Cheese Shop Good to Great, Uncontainable and Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – A series of great business books that Kendall recommends. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Amit Kothari. He spent ten years in London dealing with some of the largest companies and organizations in the world and helping them with collaboration technology. After seeing a lot of failures in that industry, he realized he needed a very structured process with unstructured, human conversations to make his business succeed. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Innovator's Dilemma What CEO do you follow? — Jack Welch and Warren Buffett Favorite online tool? — DropBox, Xero Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — "Never confuse movement with action." –Hemingway Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Amit 01:45 – Tallyfy 02:05 – The company's program helps remove routine processes throughout the day 02:30 – They started in Chili with a grant in 2014 03:00 – Then they got a grant from the US 03:30 – First year had no revenue 03:45 – $300k in 2015, with $600k total 04:15 – Paying customers 04:50 -- $39/month is the average that customers pay 05:15 – Monthly revenue 06:00 – They have several different services and processes 06:35 – Pure MRR in April -- $4000 07:10 -- Professional services is a huge chunk of revenue 08:20 – Starting out with professional services brings in a lot of revenue 08:50 – Team size is 5, with a few freelancers 09:05 – Total capital $500000 10:10 – Amit and his wife are cofounders 10:25 – They have a rule to stop talking about work after 6 pm 11:00 – They believe in their business 11:45 -- tallyfy.com and @tallyfy on Twitter 12:00 – Consistency is the secret to a growing company's success 14:20 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Start a business that you believe in. Look for grants and funding opportunities. If you want to scale your business, you have to put effort into consistency. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. The Innovator's Dilemma – Amit's favorite business book DropBox – One of Amit's favorite online tools, that allows businesses to share files online Xero – Online accounting tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Jonathan Gillon, the founder of Roost. His unique business costs almost nothing to run, and is taking over the nation. Though he has experienced failures along with success in his business endeavors, Jon is a self-proclaimed optimist. He sees the potential growth of his business and wants to be the one to take it to its full potential. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing about Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Andy Dunn Favorite online tool? — Geckoboard Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don't get kicked out of college. Stop getting in trouble. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan's introduction 01:25 – Jonathan explains Roost 01:45 – Profits come from a percentage of transaction fees 02:55 – They focus on storage and parking spaces 03:15 – Mostly garages 03:45 – His first-year revenue was zero 04:10 – He found an opportunity with a storage unit that was closing 05:45 – Numbers of buyers and sellers 06:55 – He has a team of 17 people in San Francisco 07:30 – His rent in San Francisco 08:25 – $4.9 million in capital 09:35 – Roost uses a "targeted approach" working with car-share companies 10:55 – Total revenue 2015 - $80000 11:25 – Revenue is now 25k/month 12:10 – Reasoning behind the company's evaluation 12:50 – Potential of the company 13:30 – Jonathan sees great value in Roost 14:00 – They are still in "beta mode" 15:00 – They have virtually no competitors 16:10 – Jonathan prefers to "build something big and fail" than build something small 17:05 – His experience with Droperty Tax 17:40 – He lost everything he earned from that company 18:30 – He wants to grow revenue and get Roost to its potential 19:25 –Jon's blog about his experiences as an entrepreneur 21:20 – Average revenue per buyer – about $41 22:20 – "We've got almost no churn." 23:10 – Cost to find a new space is almost nothing 23:30 – Money is spent on marketing 24:35 – He pays himself $64k 25:30 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Look for a business opportunity that requires low upfront costs. Don't be afraid to stand behind your business and be optimistic about its potential. If your company gets bought, don't go on a spending spree. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Geckoboard – Jonathan's favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Douglas Lusted, the CEO and co-founder of Linkett. Douglas is an incredible individual who earned his way onto the Forbes' "30 Under 30" list at the age of 19! He's taken his company, which specializes in out-of-home advertising, from an idea on paper to an unstoppable force that's taking on big-time enterprise clients. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Lean Analytics What CEO do you follow? — Kurtis McBride Favorite online tool? — Calendly or Prospect.io Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Absolutely not. If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Keep on doing what you're doing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan's introduction 01:45 –Linkett is an analytics platform 02:20 – It is sold as an annual subscription 02:35 – Company was founded in 2013, and it was his first business venture 03:05 – First-year revenue was $100000 03:50 – Money and capital raised 05:00 – Their team now 05:20 – Growth for the company over the past year and a half 06:10 – Monthly recurring revenue (about $25k) 06:50 – The company's churn 07:40 – Advertisers' pricing systems 09:35 – The future of billboards 10:18 – What Douglas would do as a billboard owner 10:45 – Customer worth 11:40 – The company is focused on growth 12:00 – Connect with Douglas Lusted on LinkedIn 14:010 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't be afraid to redefine an industry and how it operates When you have a great idea, go for it. Create a product that improves an industry's integrity. Resources Mentioned: Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Prospect.io – Douglas's favorite online sales tool based out of Canada Lean Analytics – Douglas's favorite business book. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Tony Leonard, founder and president of nurseVersity—a company that uses next-generation tools, cutting-edge research, and adaptive, personalized learning structures to help nurses and physical therapists prepare for the respective industry exams with maximum efficiency. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Who Moved the Cheese What CEO do you follow? — Bill Gates Favorite online tool? — There are several Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Sleep more; eat less. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:09 – Nathan's introduction 01:25 – Tony's company operates under a monthly subscription format 01:45 – He helps people pass their qualifying exams the first time 02:15 – 10,000 customers, with $152,000 in revenue last month 03:00 -- $35.50/month per customer 03:30 – Scholarship program 05:00 – One-time payments 05:40 – How they manage churn 07:30 – Cost to get a customer 08:40 – Company is based in Louisville, Kentucky 09:00 – Churn for their company 10:15 – Lifetime value is about $300 per customer 10:30 – They are looking to raise capital 11:00 – Capital to date is $4 million 11:15 – Connect with Tony Leonard on LinkedIn, or at Nurseversity on Facebook, or [email protected] 13:40 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Show your customers you care. Think of ways you can increase capital and scale your business. Sleep more, and eat less. Resources Mentioned: Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Who Moved the Cheese – Tony's favorite business book Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Sam Caucci, founder of Sales Huddle, a training and development team using gaming technology to help organizations better prepare their people for the workforce. With work delivered across North America, Europe, and Asia, Sales Huddle has impacted people across organizations in a wide array of sectors and clients, that include professional sports teams, politics and government, hospitality, retail, colleges, and many more. They're applying an innovative approach to people preparing for the workforce, and Sam is over the creation of the training game platform. It is the first game-based platform that transforms the way an organization on-boards, trains, and develops team members. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Emotional Intelligence What CEO do you follow? — Someone who's not living right now Favorite online tool? — Rapportive and Mixmax Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Not to think I knew everything. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:09 – Nathan's introduction 01:55 – Training that isn't boring 02:50 – Money is made from a license fee 03:22 – Company was founded in 2010 3:55 – It went from consulting to a product 4:15 – First year's revenue was $250000 4:45 – They are self-funded 5:15 – Total customers is 61 5:45 – Learning-based vs. game-based competition 6:35 – The product requests annual pay 7:05 – Pay is upfront 07:30 – Average pay per year is $15000 per customer 07:55 – 100% retention and why 10:05 – Customer acquisition costs 11:00 – They have just started raising capital 11:50 – How to get more people and scale the business 13:20 – How much money they want to raise 13:40 – Team is six people 14:00 – Saleshuddlegroup.com, Twitter - @saleshuddle or @samcaucci 16:10 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Businesses and progress run off of incentives. Consider the most efficient and cost-effective way to provide your service. Learning and training systems shouldn't be boring. Resources Mentioned: Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Rapportive and Mixmax – Sam's favorite online tools for organization and productivity Sales Huddle – A training program that uses gaming technology Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Cam and Akin, founders of Baby Mori. Their business was started in 2015, and it is already seeing 50% growth each month. Learn about Cam and Akin's recipe for success as we discuss their products and how their business is run. They are showing incredible numbers for their startup, so let's take some notes on how these two single guys saw financial success in the baby industry. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? – Google Hangouts Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Go for it, in terms of entrepreneurship Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:26 - Nathan introduces Cam and Akin, founders of Baby Mori 01:44 – Cam and Akin target gifters 02:20 – Cam and Akin explain the company 02:51 – Revenue came mostly from parents and gifters buying directly 03:22 - They talk about their multiple skews and how they manage them. 04:43 – Their sleep suits are their best sellers. 05:25 – Margins are 1:4 or 1:5 06:35 – They talk about their other expenses and their net margin, which is very low. 07:32 – Sales and marketing are limited costs. 08:21 – Their shipping is free to the UK only, but they are finding other ways to get to the US and other countries with low shipping costs. 09:15 – The business was launched in 2015, and is a very new startup. 10:21 – Their goal for this year is about $600000 10:51 – The business has strong numbers and statistics 11:23 – They discuss their number of buyers. 12:00 – The business owners talk about their subscription system. 13:20 – Their latest success is to have raised $1 million in priced equity. 14:50 – Their growth is 50% each month. That and other characteristics make them appealing to investors. 15:29 – Nathan discusses data in the baby business. 16:44 – People can connect at babymori.com 19:04 – Nathan goes over the Famous Five 3 Key Points: Cam and Akin have low costs to produce their products. Baby Mori focuses on getting the product to the client in an affordable manner. A company with significant monthly growth, like Baby Mori, is appealing to investors. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Brendan Candon, cofounder and CEO of SidelineSwap, a community market where athletes buy and sell their sports gear. Most of their users are middle school, high school, and college athletes selling online for the first time. They've got revenue and traction with gross sales running close to $2 million. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – High Output Management What CEO do you follow? — Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour Favorite online tool? — Slack and Appear Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 7 – 10 If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —"Be sure, with whatever you're doing, that you can do it for five years." Time Stamped Show Notes: 02:22 – Nathan introduces Brendan 01:40 – SidelineSwap makes it easy for athletes to buy and sell sports gear. 02:25 – SidelineSwap was launched in 2012, and really took off in 2015 03:22 – The company takes 12 percent from the seller to make money. 04:33 – They didn't make any money for the first couple years, but in 2015 they did $400000 in sales. 05:04 – They are now on track to do $2 million in sales 05:25 – The site is transactional and social. 06:15 – Average order value is $75 before shipping 06:30 – They have been growing about 15 percent each month, but they started growing by 50 percent 07:15 – Users are accustomed to the conditions of used sports gear, and it's a smart route for parents. 08:30 – The site is for usable gear, but we also get gear sold for charity or signed gear. 09:47 – Instagram is their main account, and they have separate accounts for different sports. 10:34 – They get new followers by finding great content that kids enjoy. 11:39 – Their goal is to be the marketplace for athletes. 12:50 – Follow Brendan personally on Twitter @brendancanden or contact him through email at sidelineswap.com 15:18 – Nathan does the famous five 3 Key Points: Be sure to look ahead for the next five years with your business. Up your Instagram followers by finding great content for your audience. Start a business that fills a niche, like SidelineSwap, which is an online marketplace specifically for athletes. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Khuram Hussain, founder of Inbox 2 and now Fileboard. The two companies reached multi-million-dollar worth, and Khuram provides insight into his two businesses and how they have succeeded. He gives us an idea of Fileboard's revenue and what factors go into his company, which has grown to be worth millions in just a few short years. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? —Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Trello Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Not to go and run for corporate Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Khuram Hussain 01:44 – Khuram started Inbox 2 in his twenties. 02:31 – Khuram explains the history of how Inbox 2 started 03:15 – Inbox connects everyone from one single platform (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) 03:44 – Inbox grew to 60 million users 04:22 – Inbox was bought by MyLife 04:44 – Khuram valued the business by user base and engagement 05:05 – Inbox was a team of 12 people and self-funded when it sold. 05:46 – Inbox was a 6-figure sell 06:20 – Then Khuram moved to starting a new business, Fileboard 08:44 – Fileboard is a sales tool to improve the sales process of a company. 09:40 – It was launched in 2012. 10:03 – First year's revenue was $0, and they grew over the years to about $10 million 11:06 – Khuram shares about a typical process with a company that purchases File Board 11:54 – Khuram explains their customer base. 12:35 – Average business pays $20k to $30k per year 13:14 – Khuram explains Fileboard's investors 13:52 – Customer worth is two to three years 14:56 – Customer acquisition cost. 15:50 – Nathan talks with Khuram about MRR 17:30 – The company is based in Europe. Khuram discusses his team. 18:00 – You can connect with Khuram on LinkedIn 19:22 – Nathan goes over the Famous Five with Khuram 3 Key Points: Khuram had decided that the money from his first business would not mark the end of his business endeavors. Fileboard's profits increased from nothing to millions within just a few years. The company's customer acquisition cost is extremely low compared to what each business will pay to use Fileboard. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Hank Leber, founder and CEO of Vytamin. Vytamin is a marketing technology software that provides an end-to-end marketing solution. The business made $460,000 the first year and is excelling in its industry. Hank will share his insights from failing with his first business to succeeding with the next. He is a great example of an entrepreneur who has persevered to create a service that works. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? —Jason Lemkin Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No way If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Cheat a little Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:28 – Nathan introduces Hank Leber, founder and CEO of Vytamin 01:55 – Hank worked with Travelocity before Vytamin 02:16 – Vytamin is marketing technology software for an end-to-end marketing solution 02:47 – The service starts at $1000/month 03:24 – Vytamin is a SAS company 03:54 – Hank's first business was founded at the beginning of 2015, because Hank wanted to move to greater things beyond his original goals 05:14 – You can get out of the corporate world, but it is a leap of faith 06:45 – Hank quickly exhausted his life savings with his first startup, Gonnabe, and the company failed 09:14 – His cofounders found outlets at other successful companies. 09:52 – Hank then took a year in the agency world to make back the money he lost and get on his feet again. 11:05 – First year revenue for Vytamin was $460,000 11:30 – They now have 85 paying customers, with $102,000/month coming in. 12:41 – Gross churn is about 4% per month, but at first it was over 20%. 13:48 – Their goal is 4% annual churn 14:49 – They don't have to spend on marketing because they use their own software. There is no real inside sales team. 16:08 – There are nine on the team now, with $650,000 revenue last year. 18:26 – Monthly headcount is about $10k 18:53 – Revenue is 18% 19:30 – Hank does the Famous Five 3 Key Points: Even if a business idea fails, use your new knowledge to continue seeking a concept that works. Starting a business will require savings or funding as well as a big leap into the unknown. Give appropriate value to your employees and they will work harder and stick around. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Adam Lee, cofounder and CEO of Bohemian Guitars. The business sells guitars made out of recyclable materials, and the majority of its sales in through the website bohemianguitars.com. Nathan and his brother are now making over $1 million per year, and their initial marketing strategy focused on crowdfunding. Their marketing strategy has found the secret to making money through these crowdfunding sites. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – Tribes by Seth Godin What CEO do you follow? — Nick Woodman Favorite online tool? — Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Definitely not If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — I wish I wasn't caught up in saving for the future Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Adam Lee, cofounder and CEO of Bohemian Guitars 01:40 – The company is a retail brand and manufacturer, with guitars made out of recyclable materials 2:20 – A guitar costs about $250, with $50 cost to produce 02:48 – Most sales go through the website 03:05 – They started in 2012 and have over 100 skews, for all custom guitars 03:22 - They have partners in China and a facility in Atlanta 04:07 – The first year, their revenue was $16000 04:55 – Their 2015 revenue was just under $1 million, due in part to success with a ukulele 05:58 – There are a lot of players, and they are new to the space, so they try to draw people in with accessories. 06:55 – They do a lot of crowdfunding to raise funds and test the crowd 07:31 – Kickstarter and Indiegogo were both used, and are fairly comparable 08:24 – They did a soft launch on Indiegogo with a party and low price initiative as well as an official launch online the next day 10:39 – Their campaign was run for 30 days, with a goal to manufacture 1000 guitars. 12:04 – An online campaign requires a lot of work and preparation—you need a story to tell. 13:03 – You can pressure people to still buy after reaching the Kickstart goal by adding incentives. 14:00 – When you agree to purchase, Indiegogo and the company will email you, and you will be invited to an exclusive online community. 14:44 – They will now try to run a campaign on their own website. 15:21 – Follow Adam on Twitter 17:19 – Adam does the Famous Five 3 Key Points: Nathan and his brother came up with a unique idea and are now making over $1 million per year. Bohemian Guitars focused a lot on crowdfunding, and is continuing to try out new online marketing methods. The company gets buys with incentives that have short deadlines. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Ryan Levesque, author of business methodology book Ask. Ryan wrote his book as a unique type of "business card." It was a marketing tool for his "Ask Method" for businesses. After putting $1 million into his book, Ryan is now seeing the benefits, with tens of thousands of copies sold and a viable business in the education industry. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don't be so afraid, man Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Ryan Levesque, author of Ask 01:55 – Ryan wrote the book as a business tool, "a business card." 02:40 – The first half of the book tells his personal story, a polarizing element for the book. 04:08 – more than 55,000 copies have sold. 04:35 – He was introduced to a publisher with no royalty, and his second book will have an advance 05:18 – He spent $1 million of his own money 05:42 – The biggest expense was advertising 06:28 – "If you're writing a book to make money on the book, you're going to be disappointed." 07:16 – His advance for his next book is a six-figure advance--around $250,000 to $500,000 would be ideal. 08:15 – One mistake was to use partners to sell the book. 09:00 – Podcasters were the one group that understood giving out free books. 09:30 – He met with several podcasts each week. 10:20 – Ryan originally wanted to drive traffic to the "Ask Method" 11:30 – They are now exclusively an education company. 12:05 – He made over $1 million a year on his different platforms, and eventually a business hired him for $50,000 up front and 5 % royalty. 13:00 – He shifted to focusing on larger businesses. 14:00 – He works with different markets and learns about how to refine his business. 14:50 – Today they help students apply the methodology to their business. 15:28 – The book and the program work hand-in-hand. 16:28 – Go to askmethod.com for articles and downloads. 18:36 – Ryan does the Famous Five 3 Key Points: Make your story personal. Don't write a book to make money—if you do, you'll be disappointed. Considering using a book as a promotional or marketing tool. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Alex Berman, cofounder of Inspire Beats, a B2B lead generation company that focuses on cold emails to help businesses succeed. The business took off quickly and is now worth about 1.3 million. With no money raised, Inspire Beats's secret recipe is clearly working. Listen to Alex and I discuss a few ingredients in his recipe for success. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – 10X Rule What CEO do you follow? — Chris Hardwick Favorite online tool? — Streak Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Almost 4 hours of sleep at night If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Power emailing Time Stamped Show Notes: 1:20 -Nathan introduces Alex Berman, cofounder of Inspire Beats 01:54 – Alex explains Inspire Beats, a B2B lead generation company 02:39 – Form Stack used Inspire Beats to reach people in the US 03:15 – Alex talks about their different price packages 03:55 – They have over 700 clients 04:20 – Revenue is about 1.3 million per month 05:35 – There are thousands of companies who do the same thing. 06:34 - They have an advantage with higher quality and an American base. 07:26 – They are growing about 20% to 25% per month 08:33 – Gross customer churn is sporadic. They will stay for a long time or leave quickly. 09:42 – Numbers are different in every industry. 10:10 – Customers mostly come from cold emailing. 10:44 – The cost is about $40 per customer. 11:25 – Most customers stay indefinitely. They move to different models in Inspire Beats. 13:20 – They are bootstrapped, with nothing raised. 13:57 – Emailers are paid on salary. 14:30 – 150 emails are sent per day. 14:57 – Their first year the company took off quickly 15:50 – They don't need to raise money--they want to increase cold emails and marketing. 17:10 – People can connect at inspirebeats.com or youtube.com/alxberman 19:28 – Nathan does the Famous Five with Alex 3 Key Points: Inspire Beats is a leading business in its industry. It is bootstrapped, with no money raised. The company hires cold emailers, and they pay very little for each new client that they take on. Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Amanda Newman, who opened her first store in high school. She became a realtor, and went on to create Park Bench - a SaaS business that creates neighborhood-focused websites for realtors who want to connect to their community. She and her partner made $880k in revenue last year and this year they're shooting for a million. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – Predictable Revenue What CEO do you follow? — Grant Cardone Favorite online tool? — Unbounce Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Take some computer programming and design courses Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:23 – Nathan's introduction 02:22 – Park Bench creates neighborhood-focused websites 02:47 – Amanda wanted to create value for the communities that she worked in - so she built a neighborhood website 03:34 – Local businesses put deals and promotions on the website 04:15 – "After the first one, it was easier to create the second one" 04:40 – Amanda sells neighborhood sites to realtors so that they have the opportunity to build relationships 05:20 – Realtors pay between $3000 and $6000 per year 06:15 – "Realtors want to be known as the neighborhood realtor" 06:57 – Started in 2014 - first-year revenue was $450k 07:11 – Revenue in 2015 was $880k - they're on track for over $1 million this year 07:30 – 215 unique customers 07:53 – Customer Acquisition Cost? 08:44 – Facebook marketing is paying fantastic dividends 09:20 – 80% of realtors who buy their product buy it on the first call 09:35 – MRR in May is around $70k per month 10:00 – Revenue per user per month is $350 10:25 – Customer Acquisition Cost is around $400 10:50 – Customers sign on for a year - many sign on for a 2nd year as well 11:15 – Around half of realtors dropped out last year - but they're immediately replaced 12:22 – The average realtor stays around 1.5 years 13:04 – Team of 8 people based in Toronto 13:50 – Park Bench sells directly to real-estate agents 15:20 – "Being bootstrapped, we have to move fast" 15:40 – $70k monthly run rate 15:45 – Connect with Amanda on Linkedin 18:05 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Find the customers that fit with you Understand your market and what they want Everything starts with creating value for the people around you Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Mike Wilner, the co-founder and CEO of Compass, a web design marketplace for small businesses. Mike's a Venture For America fellow and has secured funding for his startup - a platform which handles marketing and project management for web designers and connects them to small business clients. Listen in to find out why you should forget the startup hype and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – The Servant What CEO do you follow? — None. I prefer following athletes. Favorite online tool? — Asana Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Close If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Don't believe all the hype in the startup world. There are just as many falls as there are success stories. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:18 – Nathan's introduction 01:50 – Compass works with network of freelance web designers - they connect small businesses to designers, manage projects, and take a cut 03:23 – Compass takes a 40% cut of everything that comes through 04:07 – People who need a project completed come to Compass - they take the details and then invite designers to the project 05:15 – Designers make around $40-60 per hour, after the 40% cut 06:24 – Started in late 2014 and have been launched full-time for just over 1 year 06:46 – First-year revenue in 2014 was $4k 07:40 – Total 2015 revenue was $40k 08:00 – 4 people in the core team, plus 40 designers on contract 08:30 – Around $250k worth of projects processed 09:15 – Designers have a lot of flexibility on how many projects they take on 09:43 – Growing 40% month over month 10:30 – Compass manages standardized rounds of revision to prevent scope creep 11:10 – "The technology is the easy part - the harder part is managing humans and expectations" 12:08 – Raised a $300k angel round via convertible note last year 13:20 – "There's still a huge need in the marketplace for people who need a professional web designer" 13:40 – Connect with Mike on Twitter or at Compass 15:38 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Don't believe the startup hype The hard part of startups is managing humans and expectations: work on having great soft skills Leadership is about service Resources Mentioned: Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible. Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives