The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

When Kim Perell landed a job at a hot new internet startup in 1998, she thought she had hit the jackpot. She loved her job and learned a lot, but when the dot-com bubble burst, the startup went bankrupt. What was once a dream company that she recruited many friends to join had become a nightmare when she had to lay off those friends, and then lose her own job too. “In an instant, someone pushed delete on my life, and my future, my identity,” she says. “My multimillion-dollar stock went up in flames and was worth nothing.” Perell turned to the one person she thought might give her a loan to start over: her grandmother. And sure enough, even though Nanny didn’t know what the internet was, she loaned her granddaughter $10,000, which Perell spent on a computer, a GoDaddy account for a website, and a one-way ticket to Hawaii to live with her boyfriend rent-free. Perell launched Frontline Direct, a digital marketing company pairing brands with online advertising. Scarred from the bankruptcy, she was eager to work for herself and get back to basics, which meant focusing on profitability and growth. In 2008, Frontline Direct was acquired for $30 million, and again by Amobee, where Perell now serves as CEO. Through all the ups and downs, Perell has learned many lessons, which she passes on to fellow entrepreneurs in her latest book, The Execution Factor: The One Skill That Drives Success. After investing in over 70 startups, she noticed one thing stood out in particular for those who succeeded: they focused on execution more than anyone else did. For her, writing The Execution Factor was a way to pay it forward. “If I could shortcut the system and share, based on my own experiences, what is important as an entrepreneur, that was really meaningful to me,” Perell says. “And I just felt like my grandma made a bet on me, and I was going to pay that back.” In addition to the book, she established The Execution Factor Fund to provide seed stage funding to execution-driven startups. One hundred percent of the proceeds from her book are contributed to this fund. (And in case you were wondering: Perell paid back the loan to her grandma.) Key Takeaways The rock bottom moment when the internet startup she worked for went bankrupt in the dot-com bubble burst What she did with a $10,000 loan from her grandmother Founding Frontline Direct, a digital marketing company, while living rent-free in Hawaii Frontline Direct’s multimillion-dollar acquisition Her new book, The Execution Factor Why vision, though important, is not enough The five traits you need to master execution How to attract and retain great talent What she looks for when investing in businesses Thoughts on branding versus direct response On if she felt a loss of identity after selling her business

When Ross Andrew Paquette founded email service provider Maropost in 2011, he never expected it to take off. “The plan was to have 10 customers and maybe sit by the pool a little more often than not,” he says with a laugh. But since then, he’s scaled the company to nine figures, with an impressive customer list that includes DigitalMarketer, Livestrong, and The New York Post. And beyond email marketing, Maropost has expanded into customer acquisition and ecommerce solutions. These are extremely crowded markets, but at the core of the company’s success is its strong commitment to excellent customer service, with heavy emphasis on a 24-hour in-app live chat and five-minute support response times. We chatted with Paquette to learn the strategies he used to so impressively grow his SaaS company in a short amount of time. Key Takeaways How Maropost got started The crazy story behind how Paquette met his co-founder How Maropost has expanded from email marketing to customer lead acquisition, mobile push notifications, CRM, and more How long it took to build the first version of Maropost What makes Maropost different from other ESPs The strong customer support focus of the business Why they focus on building a great organization, not just hitting numbers and growth Where he sees the SaaS market moving in the future Why he’s focused on building a legacy with his business What exciting projects are in store for Maropost

You don’t become the richest self-made woman in American real estate by playing it safe. Dottie Herman has proved time and time again that bold moves pay off. In the 1980s, in a maneuver that solidified her path to the top in real estate, Herman flew to California and convinced Merrill Lynch to hire her to help the company expand into the real estate market. In 1990, when Prudential decided to sell its regional holdings, Herman then persuaded the company to lend her $9 million to purchase its own Long Island real estate offices. And in 2003, Herman expanded her empire into New York City with the nearly $72 million purchase of the most prominent Manhattan real estate company, Douglas Elliman (again convincing Prudential to finance the deal). “If you don't ask, you don't know,” Herman says. “And the worst that can ever happen is someone says no.” Key Takeaways How Dottie Herman got into real estate Her bold move that convinced Prudential to lend her money to purchase one of its own companies How she weathered a recession while running her business The story behind acquiring Douglas Elliman, a prestigious real estate company in Manhattan Why she wanted to expand her real estate empire into New York City Her thoughts on branding How she maintains a good working relationship with her employees What she hopes to do next

Jay Baer was born to be in business. As a seventh-generation entrepreneur, he always knew he’d start his own company one day. Over the years, his ventures have run the gamut—from an early internet company to a design firm to his popular marketing consulting firm, Convince & Convert. His clients have included Hilton, Cisco, Nike, and Oracle, just to name a few. And if that weren’t enough, Baer is a New York Times-bestselling author, with six books under his belt. His latest, Talk Triggers—co-authored by marketing expert Daniel Lemin—dives into the power of word-of-mouth marketing and how to use it in your own business. What is a talk trigger? According to Baer, it’s a “strategic, operational choice that creates conversations.” Take DoubleTree, for example. Their talk trigger is the warm chocolate chip cookie given to every guest who checks in. Baer and Lemin interviewed 1,000 DoubleTree customers for this book, and that’s just for one of the 30+ case studies you’ll find inside. If you want to acquire customers faster and cheaper, listen in as Jay Baer shares his marketing know-how to help you identify your business’s talk trigger. Key Takeaways The origin story of Convince & Convert How he came to work for an internet company before he even knew what the internet was How he sold the Budweiser.com domain name to Anheuser-Busch for 50 cases of beer His latest book, Talk Triggers, and why word-of-mouth marketing is so powerful How to create a word-of-mouth strategy that will win over customers DoubleTree’s genius strategy of giving a warm chocolate chip cookie for free to every guest (their talk trigger) Why small businesses are perfectly primed for a talk trigger UberConference’s on-hold music talk trigger example How to (and how NOT to) find your talk trigger Why Baer invests in several companies How to use content marketing and inbound marketing to grow your business

“I don’t think CEOs should be able to be CEOs if they can’t code,” says Grant Petty, founder and CEO of Blackmagic Design. That’s a bold statement, but Petty is a bold guy. Working as an engineer in the television industry, he realized the technology was overpriced. So he started a company that cut costs and put power into the hands of creators. “Really what I was doing was a protest against the way the TV industry was,” he says. And soon, Petty began to challenge the status quo of business in general. He runs his company a little differently: There are no spreadsheets, very little planning, and to him, metrics hardly matter. “In the Western world, business culture becomes so rigid and so inflexible,” he says. “If you’re a creative person, you can get destroyed by that because they don’t allow you to exist.” Today, Blackmagic Design boasts nearly $300 million in annual revenue and is still 100% bootstrapped. Its technology is used by 80% of modern day feature films. We sat down with Petty to discuss what he’s learned about how to run a meaningful business in the face of opposition. Key Takeaways How his frustrations with the TV industry inspired him to start Blackmagic The story behind Blackmagic’s first product and how he got it off the ground The challenges with getting funding and the struggles he faced when he decided to self-fund The “wave of hatred” that can come when you try to disrupt an industry How long it took to become an industry leader How to know when it’s the right time to add a new product to your line Balancing his creative side with the operational duties of being CEO One common thing that’s destroying creativity in businesses Blackmagic’s culture and how it fosters creativity What’s next for the company

These days, Sabri Suby reigns supreme as the founder of King Kong, Australia’s fastest-growing digital marketing agency. But he’s come a long way since his first job, selling ink cartridges over the phone, which he describes as a “cold, hard slap to the face.” “I sucked incredibly badly at doing that in the beginning,” he says. Soon enough, thanks to mastering the art of sales and persuasion, he became the top producer in that role, went on to travel the world, and eventually, forged his path as an entrepreneur. For all of his companies, he realized he was asking the same fundamental question: “How do we get more customers?” His obsession with answering that question has helped him perfect his selling skills and scale King Kong from zero to $10 million in annual revenue in just four years. In his latest book, Sell Like Crazy, Suby reveals the selling system he’s created and honed over the years, including things like the Magic Lantern Technique and the Halo Strategy. He says he’s deployed this system in more than 167 different niches and markets—and it’s worked every time. With Sell Like Crazy, he shares the steps you need to take, regardless of what stage you’re in, to level up your business. Key Takeaways Where to begin if you want to succeed in selling online Psychology vs. technology and why the traffic channel doesn’t matter The biggest mistake online businesses are making regarding sales Why you shouldn’t start a business by looking only at your interests How to identify a gap in the market that you can fill Using automation and a funnel to convert sales Why skepticism online is at an all-time high—and how to overcome it How to know when to ask for the sale How to get over the fear of selling Why you’re doing the world a disservice by not trying to sell Why paid advertising is key to growth

Eighteen years ago, David Heinemeier Hansson was a college student sitting in his little apartment in Copenhagen when he stumbled across a blog post by 37signals (which would later become Basecamp), a Chicago-based design company he had long admired. In the post, co-founder Jason Fried posted a question on some aspect of programming. Hansson knew the answer, so he contacted Fried. Several emails later, Fried was asking Hansson to work with him. “Jason decided it was easier just to hire me than to learn how to program,” Hansson says, “and that's how we started working together.” That was the beginning of a now-legendary tech startup team, and an illustrious career for Hansson. In Hansson’s early days at Basecamp, he famously created Ruby on Rails, an open-source web development framework once used by Twitter, and still in use by GitHub, Shopify, and many more. We were excited to talk shop with Hansson (often known as DHH) because, in an industry dominated by breakneck Silicon Valley culture, Basecamp stands out in many ways: It’s been profitable every year since its inception in 1999, it doesn’t chase growth, and it doesn’t even set numerical goals. With their latest book, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Hansson and Fried are hoping to challenge the prevailing narrative about chaotic work culture by sharing the unique way they run their company. This is Part 2 of our Basecamp co-founder interviews. To hear Part 1, check out our podcast interview with Basecamp co-founder Jason Fried. Key Takeaways The blog post 18 years ago that brought Hansson together with co-founder Jason Fried, and what compelled Fried to hire him How Hansson invented revolutionary web development framework Ruby on Rails Why it’s never too late to learn how to program The story behind how Jeff Bezos bought a minority, no-control stake in Basecamp in 2006—and how Hansson feels about it today Basecamp’s philosophy on growth His latest book, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, and why he hopes to challenge the prevailing narrative about entrepreneurship and growth How Basecamp defines success, even though it doesn’t set goals The disadvantages of large companies How to maintain a strong company culture when your team is remote

Most of Foundr’s podcast episodes are one-on-one chats, usually focusing on a particular foundr or their business. This time around, we were fortunate enough to sit down, in person, with two startup icons, and explore some of the most important facets of running a business. Oli Gardner and Ryan Deiss are both digital marketing pioneers who have grown their online businesses to millions in revenue. Gardner, the instructor of our Landing Page Formula course, co-founded landing page builder Unbounce in 2009. Deiss, a serial entrepreneur, founded DigitalMarketer in 2011. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be a fascinating conversation, in which Gardner and Deiss share both similar and differing opinions on everything from branding to hiring. For example, both founders insist that creating core values is an important business practice that will inform your branding and your decisions. “I have had more businesses come close to failure because of too much opportunity,” says Deiss, who adds that having a mission makes it easier to know when to say no. In addition, as both Unbounce and DigitalMarketer grow, Gardner and Deiss have each honed their strategies for hiring top talent. The details might surprise you, as one of the two companies doesn’t even allow candidates to submit a resume (it’ll get thrown out). Listen in as Gardner and Deiss join Foundr for this lively chat in Barcelona, where they share their hard-learned lessons from growing online businesses and the sacrifices they’ve made along the way. Key Takeaways How to build a great brand The one thing that keeps your customers coming back again and again Why creating core values for your company isn’t just a nice thing to do, but a necessity The latest interaction and design trends—and which ones you should steer clear of Why community is the new brand and how to build a community that boosts your business The biggest opportunity in ecommerce right now How to stay relevant in a changing content marketing landscape Sure-fire tactics for hiring and vetting top talent The big sacrifices they’ve had to make as founders

NEW COURSE ALERT: Entrepreneur, we wanted you to be the first to know that we’ve collaborated with Arman Assadi to bring you our brand new copywriting course. Learn the copywriting secrets behind 11 seven-figure product launches, taught by Arman himself. Arman’s broken it down into a 10-step framework that he’s proven with his clients time and time again. He’s even going to give you templates, formulas, and how-to guides so you can start converting customers like crazy. If you’re tired of seeing ZERO sales for all the hard work you’ve put into your amazing product—then you NEED to learn the power of copywriting. We’re opening the doors to this course soon for a limited time only, and we want to see you there. Be sure to get on the FREE waitlist so you don’t miss it! Key Takeaways The “crisis of meaning” that drove Assadi to leave his job at Google, book a trip to Cuba, and pursue freedom as a solopreneur How Assadi became a self-taught copywriter and began working with the likes of Neil Patel, Lewis Howes, Jason Silva, and Lori Harder What you should (and shouldn’t) do if you want to find your unique voice as a copywriter The key to writing high-converting copy and why every entrepreneur should learn the basics The story behind Assadi’s latest business and how it created the most-funded planner in crowdfunding history: EVO Planner What’s next for Project EVO and how it’s helping entrepreneurs and creatives find fulfillment in their work

Serial founder and VOIP pioneer Alex Mashinsky has founded eight companies and raised more than a billion dollars in collective funding since his entrepreneurial start in the 1990s—and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Mashinsky is the founder of Celsius, which allows users to earn interest on and borrow dollars against cryptocurrencies. While Mashinsky wants his company to succeed, he sees much more at stake here than just his entrepreneurial resume. Mashinsky is devoting his latest startup to taking on the world’s financial systems and driving the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. Subverting the “big guys” has been a common theme throughout Mashinsky’s career, starting with helping AT&T develop some of the first international VOIP systems, and now fighting to decentralize the world’s banking systems. According to Mashinsky, “This is the biggest battle that I’ve fought in my life. I fought with the phone companies…in the 90s. This is 10 times worse.” Listen in as Mashinsky reveals the details of his entrepreneurial journey's highs and lows, his dedication to educate the world about cryptocurrencies, and entrepreneurial lessons only an eight-time founder can teach. Key Takeaways How the 2008 recession took down his ride-share company (that was more popular than Uber at the time) Why Mashinsky is so passionate about educating the world on cryptocurrencies 4 entrepreneurial lessons to guide your business journey The mindset shift that led Mashinsky to focus on mass adoption of cryptocurrencies

Frank Body co-founder Erika Geraerts left her $20 million coffee scrub company to invent a new category within the beauty industry. She's now on a mission to empower young girls everywhere to feel more comfortable with themselves. According to this forward-thinking founder, the world has enough makeup products, and what the industry really needs is better products with better brand messages. Geraerts thinks makeup should be fun, not a necessity or a chore, which is one reason she called her company Fluff. But there's nothing frivolous about her approach to business. Geraerts is filling a void in the cosmetics industry and raising up the self-esteem of women globally in the process. In this compelling video interview, Geraerts reveals why she decided to leave her booming skin care company, and what she sees on the horizon for Fluff. She also talks about her strict manufacturing process, her focus on sustainable products, her unique customer development process, and the distinct way the company creates online content. Key Takeaways How Geraerts chooses manufacturers to create her products The company’s unique customer development process for finding out what types of products solve her customers’ problems Why she won’t be focusing on traditional influencer marketing to promote her products Fluff’s unique website launch strategy and how they work with their customers and freelancers to curate all of their content

Welcome to part two of our two-part podcast series that’s shining the spotlight on successful entrepreneurs who hail right from our very own Foundr community! If you haven’t listened to part one featuring Gavin Symes, you can check it out right here. Today, we talk with Danielle Roberts and Shea Kucenski, courageous entrepreneurs who started a marketing agency while working full-time jobs. Roberts and Kucenski took all the action steps laid out in the Consulting Empire course and in two months took their business from slow and stagnant to closing 20% of all proposals, doubling their earnings, and reaching their first $10,000 month. In this inspiring interview, you will hear about Roberts and Kucenski’s journey to success, how they overcame their perfectionism and fear of failure, and how they land high-paying clients while managing busy schedules. We are extremely proud of Danielle and Shea’s achievements and we are happy to share their amazing story with you! ATTENTION: If you want to learn how to start and scale a service-based business like Danielle and Shea, whether you are a consultant, coach, or freelancer, agency founder Sabri Suby reveals all of his golden strategies (the exact ones he used to scale from zero to $10 million) in our Consulting Empire online course. We only open enrollment a couple of times a year for a limited time, and it's open for just one more day this week! Check out the Consulting Empire course before we close the doors again. Key Takeaways How to push past the fear of failure and start moving the needle for your client-services business Roberts and Kucenski's main focus that helps them seal the deal when they prospect for clients How they manage their busy schedules (they both have full-time jobs) and keep the business running smoothly How to get started consulting or freelancing and get your first client

The Foundr community is full of passionate people from all walks of life, in the trenches daily doing what it takes to make their startup dreams a reality. In this week’s podcast, we want to highlight one of these entrepreneurs we’re especially proud of—Gavin Symes of The Foundry Group. In part one of this two-part podcast series, we talked with Consulting Empire student Gavin Symes, who advanced his business growth and management skills to create a profitable consulting business. Symes took all the action steps laid out in the Consulting Empire course—from validating his service to developing a lead-gen machine—and built his consulting business from scratch. Three-and-a-half months into the course, he closed 10 clients and generated over $50,000 of monthly revenue. He plans on scaling to $1 million this year and then to $10 million in three years. In this inspiring interview, you will hear about Symes’ own journey to success, the biggest problems most businesses face when scaling, and how to set up processes to overcome common business growth challenges. We are extremely proud of Gavin’s achievements and we are happy to share his amazing story with you! ATTENTION: If you want to learn how to start and scale a service-based business like Gavin, whether you are a consultant, coach or freelancer, agency founder Sabri Suby reveals all of his golden strategies (the exact ones he used to scale from zero to $10 million) in our Consulting Empire online course. We only open enrollment a couple of times a year for a limited time. Get on the free VIP waitlist here to be one of the first we notify when we re-open! Key Takeaways The top problems most entrepreneurs face as they scale their businesses The one thing that can derail your business if you let it (it has nothing to do with sales or customers) The very first thing to do if you want to start a freelance or consulting business How to create business playbooks to fast-track your growth

New to the US from Pakistan, Syed Balkhi was a lonely and isolated 12-year-old. Unable to speak English fluently, he took to communicating with new friends—computers—and quickly found comfort interacting with these non-human companions. Soon Balkhi was learning how to code and build websites, and that very same year he made his first dollar from a website he created. Now 27, Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the first and largest WordPress resource website in the world, and co-founder of many accompanying businesses. He was also named a top entrepreneur under the age of 30 by the United Nations, his websites receive millions of monthly pageviews each month, and his software runs on nearly 8 million sites serving billions of monthly impressions. Listen in as Balkhi takes you through the early years of his entrepreneurial journey and how, brick by brick, he built his empire. Key Takeaways How Balkhi decides which versions of existing software to acquire and improve Why managing four products independently helps his team increase focus and output How to build a business, one small step at a time The key factor behind his companies' explosive growth

Tobi Skovron, Founder, CreativeCubes.co Dog toilets and co-working spaces? An unlikely pairing. But if you talk to Tobi Skovron, you'll find they have one thing in common—they inspired him to create two passion-filled businesses and realize his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Skovron walked away from a promising career in medicine to pursue entrepreneurship, even though he had no idea what business he wanted to run. It wasn’t until Skovron got a dog that he came upon an idea that would take Australia by storm—an indoor dog toilet called Pet Loo. Piggybacking off of the success in Australia, Skovron decided to expand into the US market. He quickly faced a lot of challenges, however, since he made the move right as the 2008 recession hit. Skovron lost half his money right away. Starting over in Los Angeles, he realized the spare bedroom in his Venice Beach apartment was not the ideal environment for him to breathe life into his US expansion, so he joined a co-working space to rekindle his inspiration. There, Skovron realized a new passion for this collaborative environment, which ultimately led him to his next project. Skovron sold Pet Loo and started CreativeCubes.co, a hotel-like co-working environment that houses a curated community of passionate people. We here at Foundr have even used CreativeCubes.co to shoot many of our course videos! These days, Skovron's less interested in financial return, and more interested in providing quality experiences and fostering an environment of positivity and creativity. Listen in and get inspired by this journey from aspiring entrepreneur to two-time founder. Key Takeaways How the idea for Pet Loo became a reality (it was his wife's idea) The 10-year journey of designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling Pet Loo How Skovron’s love of the co-working landscape led to the creation of his second successful product Why Skovron won’t scale his business for the sake of scaling

Welcome to our newest podcast format, video interviews! You can expect more of this format in the coming months. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here to be notified when we publish new videos. Today I had the pleasure of sitting down with the co-founders of Quad Lock, a mounting device to securely attach your smartphone to your bike, car, motorcycle, arm or in any situation where you need a hands-free moment. These guys are killing it with $9 million in yearly earnings in only four years! This was a phenomenal interview, as Peters and Ward gave us 45 minutes of pure gold on how they built a strong brand reputation and high-quality product, how they manufacture their products in China, how they got started as a simple Kickstarter project, and so much more. They also discuss brand longevity, how to become trendsetters, and how they overcame their biggest scaling challenges. If you want to learn how to build a long-lasting brand and scale your physical-products business, this is an interview you don’t want to miss! Key Takeaways What you need to build a physical-products brand with a strong reputation Why Kickstarter is a good way to introduce your brand to the market, as long as you do it right How to get started and maintain manufacturing out of China Quad Lock's biggest challenges around scaling, and how they have overcome them Quad Lock’s philosophy on hiring A-players

Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg started their business as good friends on a couch, with nothing but their laptops and a healthy dose of hustle. Today, their millennial women-focused media company theSkimm serves seven million daily subscribers, employs 70 people, and boasts more than 30,000 enthusiastic brand ambassadors. The company also just closed a round of Series C funding led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and a group of mainly female investors—including the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Tyra Banks, and Spanx founder Sara Blakely. Weisberg and Zakin have maintained a close friendship and strong collaboration throughout their six years in business. This dynamic forms the backbone of their company and sets the tone for daily operations, which is largely focused on supporting and empowering women. In this interview, learn about the early days of theSkimm, the power of community and connection, and how the brand monetizes its content to build a sustainable media business. The company publishes news that fits into the daily routines of its members, continually nodding to its mission statement of making it easier for people to live smarter, more connected lives. But if you ask us, these powerful founders are the smart ones, effectively proving the mantra, “We are all stronger when we work together.” Key Takeaways How and why they waited two and a half years to monetize their community of loyal followers How they monetize their content with multiple income streams to build a sustainable, well-rounded business Details of the Skimm’bassadors program and why it has grown so rapidly Zakin and Weisberg’s top tips for growing a content-based business

Mike Michalowicz appeared to have everything an entrepreneur could want—big companies and lots of revenue coming in. But things aren’t always as they seem. As Michalowicz was high on fleeting indicators of success, his businesses were leaking profits. “I got caught up in the vanity metrics…how big my business was revenue-wise and how big my business was people-wise,” Michalowicz says. After feeling the sting of and two failed investments and losing millions, Michalowicz found himself struggling with depression—along with a realization that ignorance and arrogance were a deadly combination. Thankfully, with support from friends and a rekindling of his love of writing, Michalowicz was able to pull himself out of the ashes and rebuild his career—this time with heart and soul. Michalowicz used writing as a way to find solutions to all of the biggest challenges he faced as a founder. His books Profit First, Pumpkin Plan, and Clockwork tackle managing cash, business growth, and automating a company, respectively. His next book will focus on how entrepreneurs can serve a greater purpose and make an impact on the world. Listen in and get inspired as Michalowicz gets brutally honest about his own struggles, and shares years of lessons learned to empower other entrepreneurs. Key Takeaways The actions that led Michalowicz to lose millions and hit rock bottom How Michalowicz found his niche and rebuilt his career after 10 failed companies Why working too hard can signal a lack of efficiency How to manage cash and avoid spending money you don’t have

“It took me 10 years [to create my own business], because I didn’t have the courage to start. But I still had this belief that one day I would start it.” Fortunately for Aytekin Tank and 3.7 million happy users, he ultimately did start that business—JotForm, a profitable online form builder that houses 12 million forms; integrates with Paypal, Salesforce, and Dropbox; and spans two continents. It took Tank a decade to build that business, but he couldn't care less. In an entrepreneurial climate where rapid growth and risk-taking are worn as badges of honor, Tank considers his slow growth the reason for his strong company culture and long-term success. Concerned that your wariness or risk aversion hinders your ability to become an entrepreneur? Listen in and get inspired by Tank’s journey. Anything is possible if you just take the plunge and then keep moving forward—no matter the pace. Key Takeaways How Tank has been able to grow consistently even though he started with zero management experience The friendly company culture Tank built and why it has become so successful Why Tank believes his slow and steady approach to growth has led to so much success Tank’s three steps to slow and sustainable growth

Scott Belsky, Behance founder, investor, and author of the new book The Messy Middle, is a strong believer in putting in the hard work and then finishing strong. His nine-figure exit from Behance is a testament to this tenacity and determination. Behance came with its own set of challenges, but Belsky learned over the years that when it seems like things are falling apart, it could mean victory is right around the corner. Your near-meltdown might just be your “messy middle," and sometimes being successful simply means sticking together as a team long enough to figure it out. A labor of love will often work out in the end, even if it's not how you expect. In this thought-provoking interview, Belsky shares his own “messy middle" from his time with Behance, and some of his best wisdom on product-market fit, perseverance, and startup culture. We were thrilled to get the chance to talk to Scott. There’s a ton of gold in this interview, so don’t miss it! Key Takeaways Two guiding principles on whether to stick it out or shut it down Why Belsky is wary of the MVP craze, and how to balance perfectionism with action Three tips for finding true product-market fit How to create a startup culture that attracts and retains the right people Why Belsky started Behance and what inspired his progress

“Ninety-eight percent of landing pages are just plain bad.” This is what Unbounce founder Oli Gardner declared when he began his public speaking circuit four years ago. A bold statement, but he would know. As co-founder of the landing page software builder, which pulls in $20 million in annual revenue, Gardner confidently claims he has seen more landing pages than anyone on the planet—nearly 100,000 to be exact. These days, he's leveraging his immense knowledge on the topic to help businesses drive more leads and revenue, through Unbounce and as a speaker. In this interview, learn about the history of Unbounce, Gardner’s top tips for becoming a better marketer, and his golden advice on how to create a landing page that gets his seal of approval. ATTENTION: We are excited to announce that Oli has partnered with the Foundr School of Entrepreneurship to teach a powerful course, Landing Page Formula. If you want to learn the principles of conversion-center design and get a step-by-step blueprint on how to construct a high-converting landing page (templates included), Oli reveals his proven framework in this in-depth course. We only offer open enrollment a couple of times a year, for a limited time. Get on the FREE VIP waitlist here to be one of the first we notify when we open. Key Takeaways The history of Unbounce and how the company rose to prominence How to make a landing page that impresses Oli Gardner Gardner’s top three tips to becoming a better marketer

Stuart McKeown started his entrepreneurial career as a college dropout, had a short-lived stint as a DJ, and then lost thousands of dollars on his first startup attempt. But he's nothing if not persistent. McKeown is now a growth marketing and list-building master and the co-founder of Gleam.io, a growth-focused platform used by more than 20,000 brands a month. The secret to McKeown’s success? He never believed failure was something to be feared, but rather a means to gather the information he needed to grow. In this interview, learn how McKeown overcame his setbacks to build a powerful platform and brand, how he establishes work/life balance for himself and his employees, and his top four tips for running a viral competition. McKeown may not have become a world famous DJ, but by staying true to himself and striking out fearlessly despite unforeseen obstacles, he has built a brand to be proud of—a gleaming beacon of success. ATTENTION: We are also excited to announce that Stuart has partnered with Foundr to teach an epic course, List-Building Mastery. If you want a step-by-step strategy on how to explode your email list from scratch, get your first 10,000+ subscribers, and scale to 60,000 and more, Stuart reveals all of his proven strategies in this in-depth, tactical course. We only open enrollment a couple of times a year for a limited time. Get on the FREE VIP waitlist here to be one of the first we notify when we open. Key Takeaways: Four tips for running a viral competition Why building a product that relies on someone else’s infrastructure can spell disaster McKeown’s low-key and casual philosophy on work/life balance How and why failure is necessary for success

Andy Rachleff is not just a product expert; he literally coined the term “product-market fit.” Wealthfront CEO, former VC backing companies such as eBay, Uber, and Twitter, and technology entrepreneurship instructor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Rachleff has a wealth of knowledge on creating and scaling powerful companies. I was excited to have the chance to pick his brain on everything from product-market fit, to how he started his company Wealthfront, to how he hires the best of the best to join his team. In this interview, you will gain access to a true master, who has enjoyed a long career of investing in legendary companies and now gives back to today’s entrepreneurs and investors. Rachleff started his company Wealthfront, an automated investment service that manages $11 billion in assets, as a way to perform a social good by democratizing sophisticated financial advice. In our discussion, he was kind enough to divulge some of his wins and losses and top lessons learned in his storied entrepreneurial career. Enjoy! Key Takeaways How to know when you’ve reached product-market fit The process Rachleff follows every time he builds a new product How to know when it’s the right time to launch a new product (or let go of a failing one) How to maintain a close-knit startup culture as the company grows Why perseverance does not lead to success in technology (and what does) What type of people he looks for and the three biggest things that make people to want to join his team Key Resources From Our Interview With Andy Rachleff Follow Andy on Twitter Learn more about Wealthfront here

You may know former Moz CEO Rand Fishkin from his characteristic curly mustache, Whiteboard Friday videos, or his SEO mastery. But this interview isn’t about linking, Google rankings, or gray-hat practices. Or mustaches. In our chat with Fishkin, he opens up about his battle with depression and how it has shaped his past decisions and guided his current ventures. He sympathizes with the many entrepreneurs who have also succumbed to loneliness and wondered why their business success wasn’t enough to make them happy. Fishkin also talks about his new book, Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World. In it, he shares the conversations entrepreneurs have about their challenges and hardships, whether personal or in their businesses. Fishkin also shares details on his new software project and why he decided to venture into another startup. If you want to be inspired, encouraged, and take away some great advice from a long-time founder, don’t miss this interview. We hope you find it as moving as we did! Key Takeaways Why striving to emulate Silicon Valley startup culture can negatively affect your business growth How and why Moz’s customer acquisition costs went down after laying off half of his marketing team How to know when to sacrifice profit for growth The dark side of entrepreneurial leadership

We are always blown away by the success stories within the Foundr community, and we take every opportunity we can to shine the spotlight on them. In today's podcast, I am thrilled to present to you three of our Start & Scale ecommerce course students who are absolutely crushing it! I got to sit down with each one and ask them how they got started with their businesses, what challenges they faced, and what successes they are now enjoying. You will hear from: Adam Hendle Adam is the founder of men’s personal care product line, Ball Wash. Adam started his ecommerce journey only eight short months ago and has already made more than $1 million in revenue. Shamanth Pereira Shamanth is a busy mother who created a new leggings product, and put it to the test with a pre-sale Kickstarter campaign. In a short time, she received nearly £50,000 from more than 1,500 backers. Shamanth is in the process of fulfilling those orders and putting her shop online full time. Monique and Chevalo Wilsondebriano Monique and Chevalo run Charleston Gourmet Burger, which was already a $200,000-per-month business, but had yet to reach its potential in online sales. Their goal was turn their website into an online store so they could generate more sales. In two months, they earned nearly $22,000 and attracted 9,110 visits to their website. We couldn’t be happier for these guys and are proud to be part of their journeys. Please join me in congratulating them. Way to go! Key Takeaways Go behind the scenes to learn how three ecommerce stores became successful Discover the two primary marketing channels Ball Wash leveraged that allowed them to scale so fast How Shamanth conceptualized and developed her winning product idea The learning curve for Chevalo and Monique as they transitioned their product to sell online

While he always had a passion for entrepreneurship, Shane Snow started his career as a freelance journalist, and during that time noticed how many of his peers were struggling to market themselves and find work. This frustration fueled his desire to develop the global content marketing platform, Contently. Contently is a unified content marketing solution for the world’s biggest enterprise brands, and it’s also a tremendous source of income for creative freelancers. By Snow’s best estimates, Contently has paid out more than $46 million (and counting) to freelancers around the globe. As successful as his time at Contently has been, Snow never stopped being a writer at heart, and now he's back at it. He recently hired a CMO for Contently and became “founder-at-large,” relieving himself of the day-to-day management and freeing up his time to reunite with his first career love. Today, you can find Snow promoting his soon-to-be-published book, Dream Teams, and otherwise sharing his expertise on team building and storytelling for founders. In this interview, Snow shares his journey to the top of the entrepreneurial mountain and back home again, along with his best advice learned from a seven-year reign at Contently. Key Takeaways The two realizations Snow had that sparked the idea for Contently How Snow transitioned out of his role as founder and returned back to his former love of journalism Snow's counterintuitive advice on team building and how it relates to innovation One of the most important things we can do as leaders and team members to build relationships Key Resources From Our Interview With Shane Snow Find out more about Shane Snow here Follow Shane on Twitter Learn more about Contently

Hiten Shah has a killer track record when comes to creating software products. He and his co-founders have built several multimillion-dollar releases, including Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics, and many of their features were the first of their kind to hit the industry. It might seem like Shah has stumbled onto a secret formula for software-building success. But to him, it’s simply a matter of creating what his audience wants. Solving a problem is the biggest determinant of a software’s success, and Shah builds this methodology into every new piece he creates. In this informative interview, Shah shares the details behind his process, from planning the software build and ensuring a market fit, to hiring the right people to bring it to life. As an avid mentor and advisor, Shah also answers our own, real world questions about future software builds for Foundr. Listen in and get inspired! Key Takeaways Learn about Shah’s newest software products to hit the market The secret to building a profitable software product (it starts long before the first line of code is written) How to avoid building something nobody wants When to hire internally and when to outsource when building a SaaS product Where most product managers go wrong during development How to prevent your software tool from getting too bloated and overcomplicated Key Resources Sign up for Shah's newsletter here

It only took six hours for Asher Tan and Ryan Zhou to put together the incubator pitch for CoinJar, a vision for a next-gen personal finance account that would capitalize on the growing interest in bitcoin and other digital currencies. Five years later, CoinJar is a leading digital currency platform in Australia and the self-proclaimed “fastest way to access your money from anywhere in the world.” CoinJar’s users can spend, send, and trade their bitcoins, dollars, and pounds globally. Despite the major challenges that come with scaling in a global market, the company has been profitable for the past three years. In this insightful interview, these brave founders share how they overcome scaling challenges, their next products to hit the market, and their top tips for entrepreneurs interested in creating fintech startups. Enjoy! Key Takeaways The specific challenges that come with scaling in a volatile market Why prioritizing word-of-mouth marketing wins over other advertising channels in this industry The duo's next products to hit the market Tan and Zhou’s top tips for fintech startups

For Pura Vida co-founders Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, a chance meeting with two Native jewelry artisans on a beach in Costa Rica sparked an idea that would forever change their lives. They're now running a rapidly growing brand that not only inspires tremendous customer loyalty, but also promotes products that give back in a big way. Pura Vida (which means “pure life” in Spanish) has grown rapidly since its inception, but this isn’t the brand’s most appealing aspect. Customers also love the company, because it has provided sustainable jobs to 350+ jewelry artisans worldwide, and donated more than $1.5 million to charities using proceeds from its products. In this inspiring interview, learn how Pura Vida has leveraged influencer marketing and social media to spread its brand message and create a global movement of loyal customers. Matching creative social strategies with a passionate mission has made this brand a massive success and we are proud to feature them. Way to go Pura Vida! Key Takeaways The company's unique micro-infuencer marketing program that forms the backbone of their promotional marketing campaigns The monthly subscription club that is the fastest-growing part of the business The strategies behind the company’s high customer engagement How Pura Vida creates a culture and lasting experiences that contribute to customer loyalty

I’m excited to share a very special interview with you today! Mitchell Harper has been my long-time mentor and coach and a driving force behind Foundr’s success. I’m thrilled to share his story with you so you can glean some entrepreneurial gold from his experience. Harper started his entrepreneurial journey as a software developer, building games as early as 12 years old. He built his first businesses in his teens and sold his first company around the time he graduated high school. Partnering with another developer in 2003, Harper created Interspire, a suite of software tools for businesses, and grew it to $10 million in revenue in four years. The company eventually became BigCommerce, now one of the web's premier shopping cart platforms. BigCommerce has raised $250 million in its short lifetime, recently hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and the company is still growing. While his big career wins might suggest otherwise, Harper says he is risk-averse and doesn’t believe entrepreneurs need to be big risk takers to achieve high levels of success. He prefers taking the safe route and reveals his strategies for building high impact, low-risk businesses. In this inspiring interview, Harper also shares how he battled with depression and what his journey to wholeness taught him about work/life balance. I’m so privileged and lucky to have Mitch as a mentor and to introduce him to our Foundr family. Please listen in and get inspired by the man who has been an integral part of Foundr’s success! Key Takeaways Why timing is critical when securing investors, from seizing the opportunity early on to waiting long enough to mitigate risk Mitch’s top book recommendation for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital Why entrepreneurs don’t need to “risk it all” to become successful Mitch’s battle with depression and how he altered his life to avoid burnout and achieve work/life balance The power of an A-player team to grow companies

Lynda Weinman sold her 20-year company Lynda.com to LinkedIn for $1.5 billion. What is she doing now? She is reinventing herself and enjoying her new role as a champion of independent film. Weinman is no stranger to the concept of reinvention. In fact, it's that very spirit of constant evolution that led her to become a trailblazer in the online education space, and to ultimately make a massive exit. Her journey started with a career in animation and special effects, of all things, and even included running a punk store on L.A.’s Sunset Strip. She continued to pivot, until her creative endeavors eventually led her to education, and a business model that allowed her to teach thousands of laypeople about complex tech topics. The company started as a brick-and-mortar classroom, but after the economic decline that followed the tragic terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Weinman was forced to take Lynda in a new direction. To weather the economic storm, she transitioned to the online subscription business model of Lynda.com. Lynda.com’s growth was slow going until social media gained ground in 2006, a movement that helped catapult her company's revenue to $40 million and beyond. Even though Weinman never thought about selling, when the offer came in, she knew she had to pull the trigger. Working relentlessly on Lynda for the past 20 years and now in her early 60s, Weinman has set her sights on a new course. She's now the president of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and invests in independent filmmakers using charitable grants. In this interview, Weinman shares the journey that led to her $1.5 billion exit, how and why she has continued reinventing herself, and her top advice for entrepreneurs. Key Takeaways The emotions that accompany the process of letting go of a 20-year company in three short months Why it may not be wise to focus on churn rate and what to focus on instead Why getting investors can be a wise choice if you are planning on selling your company Lynda Weinman’s three top tips for entrepreneurs

A health crisis that landed Munjal Shah in the ER turned out to be the catalyst for his next mission: making the world a healthier place. On the day Munjal Shah started running a 10K race back in 2010, he was on top of the world. Just the day before, he had sold his company to Google, marking his second successful exit. Then the chest pains started. Shah wound up in the ER, and while it didn’t end up being a heart attack, the incident was a sobering reminder that his own father had had one while in his 40s. It was a wake-up call for Shah, who was 37 at the time. He started focusing on his health, lost 40 pounds, and decided his next entrepreneurial endeavor would make the world a healthier place. “People always say, ‘Go find your mission,’” Shah says. He’s now the founder of a new and growing insurance startup called Health IQ, which encourages healthy behavior by taking a data-driven approach to its coverage. “I would say my mission found me.” Key Takeaways The journey that led to two successful exits (one was with Google) The unconventional, non-scalable hiring methods that led Shah to build A-player teams How Shah discovered his mission and how this fuels his startup’s success Shah’s top advice for founders looking to raise a round of financing When and how to pivot: the key to Shah’s successful track record Shah’s top tips for busy entrepreneurs (it has nothing to do with meetings, investors, or customers)

In business, in life, and even behind the wheel of his actual race car, Mike Dillard goes from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye. In stark contrast to his calm voice and introverted nature, Dillard is a pioneer willing to crash through boundaries and challenge common wisdom. He just prefers to do it through the written word, rather than grand speeches or face-to-face encounters. The core principle driving Dillard’s pedal-to-the-metal attitude? He deeply believes in the power of one person to change their community, their industry, and maybe even the world. “I approach life with a core belief that anyone can accomplish anything,” his website bio reads. “That not only can one man or woman make a difference, but that it’s one man or woman who always makes the difference.” Key Takeaways How Dillard leveraged his introverted nature to find success in an extrovert-driven world The biggest crash of Dillard’s career, which cost him $12 million in revenue overnight The one thing Dillard needs to build a business (it has nothing to do with money) The mission and purpose that has guided Dillard (through the bad times) to build the business of his dreams

Dmitry Dragilev has a typical entrepreneurial story, but maybe a little more extreme. Bored in his dead-end, corporate job, he was fearful of ending up like his older, unsatisfied peers. One day, Dragilev read in a magazine about what was going on in Silicon Valley, and up and quit. He sold everything he owned, hopped in his car, and made his way to California. Equipped only with a knowledge of coding and a drive to succeed, Dragilev had made a decision that changed the rest of his life. Key Takeaways: Dragilev's unique growth marketing approach for building sustainable, consistent traffic How to build quality relationships with journalists to increase your brand's exposure How Dragilev helped two companies skyrocket sales with two PR strategies The quick website fix that resulted in a two-second improvement in user session time

To Sabri Suby, business is a jungle and only the strong survive. To be successful, you need to dominate the digital landscape and crush the competition into a fine powder. That fierce attitude has served Suby, and his clients, very well over the years. Suby is the founder of King Kong, the fastest-growing digital marketing agency in Australia. Last year, King Kong raked in $7 million in revenue from its digital marketing campaigns, over $200 million in sales for its clients, and this year, is aiming to top that. Hustling since he was a teen, Suby learned how to sell early on. Making a whole lot of cold calls over the course of his life, he never let up. Starting King Kong in his bedroom on his girlfriend's laptop, Suby preferred to jump into the trenches and get his hands dirty instead of wasting time reading business books and attending events. That unrelenting approach definitely paid off. Listen in as Suby discusses why his agency scaled to millions in revenue so quickly, how to dominate direct response marketing, and why a service-based business should be the top choice for entrepreneurs. ATTENTION: Suby has partnered with Foundr to teach an epic new course, "Consulting Empire.” If you want to learn how to start and scale a service-based business, whether you are a consultant, coach or freelancer, Suby reveals all of his golden strategies (the exact ones he used to scale from zero to $10 million) in this new course. It’s just about ready so get on the free VIP waitlist here to be one of the first we notify when it launches!