Nick Gray, founder and CEO of Museum Hack. Nick thought museums were SO BORING!! Before he launched Museum Hack, he used word of mouth to advertise his idea and give free museum tours to his friends. Now his business is making over 1 million dollars per year. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Power of Full Engagement What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos Favorite online tool? — Revue Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. Use SleepTracker. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? – Do less drugs. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:40 – Nathan introduces Nick Gray 02:15 – How did you get into museums? 02:25 – “Renegade museum tours.” 02:40 – Revenue comes from charges for live tours 03:00 – Launched in 2013 03:10 – Over 10000 tours sold last year 03:20 – Total revenue was 1.3 million 03:30 – Average cost is $75 per tour 03:45 – Labor cost is $88 per person 04:15 – Net margin relies on high-end tours 04:40 – In the beginning, they got new customers from word of mouth 05:25 – First year revenue was $60k 05:45 – They want to attract people to keep coming back 06:00 – They need to up their repeat rate 06:15 – There are plenty of people to target 06:40 – He just started paying himself a salary 07:20 – His mom is his accountant 07:40 – He is learning to be a better CEO 07:50 – He supported himself with a full-time job at the beginning of the business 08:15 – He built up savings and committed to his museum business 08:40 – His last job gave him a very healthy salary 09:15 – He has always been a big saver 09:45 – His advice: Treating your passion like your job, and creating a demand by providing that product for free 10:30 – Some passions are worthless 10:45 – His team size is 12 full time and 25 part time, along with remote staff 11:15 – Expenses are up to $80k per month 11:40 – The pressure to break even does not worry him 12:10 – Moms and their lectures on receipts 13:10 – A connection with Trip Advisor 13:50 – “It was just a fluke.” 14:05 – His goal for this year is 2.2 million 14:15 – Museumhack.com and NickGray.net 15:45 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Create a demand for your product by offering it for free. Treat your passion like your job until you can transition to that passion full time. Build up your savings, and be willing to take risks. 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. Toptal – Great for business people to start building their app The Power of Full Engagement - Nick’s favorite business book Revue – Nick’s favorite online tool NickGray.net – Read Nick’s weekly newsletters Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Chris Evans, cofounder of Traffic and Funnels. Surrounded by incredible entrepreneurs, Chris decided that it was his time to build a success empire. His business Traffic and Funnels has taken a smart approach to business: They have focused on their strengths to get revenue, and now they are ready to expand. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – King Icahn What CEO do you follow? — Trump and Zuckerberg 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? – Find and invest in a mentor Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:35 – Nathan introduces Chris 01:55 – Chris worked with a lot of amazing entrepreneurs and decided to build his own empire 02:40 – He helps experts built client acquisition systems 03:00 – 1 $5500 product, and an upsell 03:25 – Traffic and Funnels is a slick website 03:40 – The numbers 03:50 -- $660000 in revenue for 2016 so far 04:30 – The problem with paid marketing 04:50 – Understanding the market and validating the product 05:15 – The biggest mistake is not understanding that market. 05:40 – The higher value products had a larger margin for error 06:00 – Cost to acquire a client is $400 to $700 06:15 – Solid revenue goals 06:40 – Advice for the info-product space 07:00 – Have clarity 07:30 – You need a target and a specialization 07:50 – Track your numbers and know what you need to break even 08:00 – How do you think about stages for scaling? 08:25 – The revenue must keep up with the spending. 08:50 – Know your business model and your plan. 09:10 – Work your way backwards. 09:25 – Take out any emotion. 09:45 – An evergreen business 10:00 – A launch-style business is more stressful up front 10:20 – You have to be smart and build credibility. 10:50 – Why this model? 11:10 – To build up a kiddy and launch their own evergreen info product 11:35 – Starting with their biggest strength 11:45 – Building stability and growing 12:10 – Taking on more employees does not scare him. 12:30 – They can get through adversity. 12:44 – Go to trafficandfunnels.com and Facebook.com/chrisaevans 14:55 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Start with your biggest strength until your business has stability. Create a plan and work your way backwards. Understand the market and validate your product. 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. King Ichahn - Chris’ favorite business book Slack – Chris’ favorite online tool Toptal – Great for people to get access to software developers Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Jonathan Gass of Nomad Financial. Jonathan founded his company because he decided to focus his career on entrepreneurship and startups. His business works with startups to help them make smart financial plans and fundraising decisions. Today we’ll learn from him about what pitfalls to avoid in our own startups. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Give and Take What CEO do you follow? — Johnny Rockefeller, of the book Titan Favorite online tool? — Audible Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — I try for 7 to 8. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? – Listen to your gut when you are making decisions. Focus on culture.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:35 – Nathan introduces Jonathan 02:10 – His main focus is entrepreneurship 02:25 – He saw the same problems with most startup founders 02:50 – They weren’t setting up their accounting systems to support decision making 03:10 – He worked for Vimeo a few years ago 03:25 – They had to pitch what set them apart from YouTube and other companies 03:55 – Building tools to support video makers 04:10 – Nomad Financial generates revenue for a number of services, paid for by the hour. 04:30 – Their employees specialize in helping startups 05:25 – A role as an advocate 05:45 – Pushback from auditors 06:00 – Staying on top of trends 06:20 – What is a 409a valuation? 06:58 – Startups mix that up with a valuation for selling stock. 07:30 – Mistakes early entrepreneurs make with cap tables 07:40 – No consistent terms 08:15 – Even the software can’t always solve those problems 09:00 – Understanding the implications of sale 09:15 – One man who had an option to sell his company, but wasn’t really going to make any money 10:10 – Nathan’s interview with Teachable (Episode 117) 11:00 – Explaining preferred shareholders 11:35 – Investors that ask for really aggressive terms 12:00 – Be careful with the terms in your agreement 12:35 – Smart money vs. “plain dollars” 12:55 – People who are there to actually help the business 13:25 – Understanding the goals of your investors 14:50 – The importance of a fit culture and a fit vision 14:40 – The friendliest investor for the entrepreneur 15:00 -- Great term sheets, and providing great value 15:15 – Interplay investors 16:10 – Jonathan is making about 4 or 5 investments each year. 16:35 – Seed-stage and a-round investments 17:00 – Why put a portion of your portfolio into startups? 17:20 – You keep that portion for that, and you use the other portion for other things. 17:45 – Living for entrepreneurship and believing in these startups. 19:00 – Connect with Jonathan at [email protected]  and nomadfinancial.com 20:45 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: Set up your accounting to support decision making in your startup. Be aware of your investor’s goals and what value they will contribute to your company. You need a cohesive culture and vision, among founders and 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. Give and Take – A business book that teaches philosophies Jonathan lives by Interplay – A reliable team of investors and partners Toptal – Great for people to get access to software developers Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives  

Roy Man, CEO of Dapulse. Dapulse is a tool designed to solve “inherently problematic” management strategies in businesses. The company has a philosophy of being transparent with their revenue and numbers, all of which you can find on their Instagram page. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Avishai Abrahami Favorite online tool? — FullStory Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — No regrets. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan introduces Roy Man 01:50 – What is Dapulse? 01:55 – A management tool for your company 02:20 – Solving something that was “inherently problematic” 02:30 – A SaaS business launched in February 2014 03:00 – Currently over 5000 customers 03:20 – Each company, or customer, pays a certain amount, depending on their team size 03:50 – Total MRR in June was $360k 04:15 – See screenshots of their numbers on Instagram 04:50 – They have raised $9 million 05:00 – They started with raising $1.5 million 05:40 – The startup mentality 06:20 – Their valuation was 3.53 million 07:00 – A solid product with a good market 07:15 – A year of product marketing and finding what people were using for management 07:50 – “People think in tables.” 08:25 – The product market fit 08:45 – They started to launch and scale and did a convertible note 09:10 – Their last round of funding was $5 million, with a post valuation of $28.5 million 09:45 – First year revenue was less than a million 10:20 – Customer acquisition cost varies 11:10 – Average is about $600 11:55 – Monthly customer churn is 2% 12:20 – Negative revenue churn 13:30 – Lifetime value is great 14:20 – Churn is not relative in terms of money 14:40 – As you scale, some customers will leave 15:10 – Expand your customer circle as much as you can 15:25 – Team size is about 35 15:40 – Total 2015 revenue was about 3 million 16:35 – Connect with Roy at [email protected] 17:05 – Roy’s Blog on Medium 19:30 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Create a product that has strong market potential. Spend time getting to know what your customers will want out of your product or service. Expand your customer circle as much as you can. 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. FullStory – Roy’s favorite online tool The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Roy’s business book recommendation Toptal – Great for people to get access to software developers Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Max Pechersky, co-founder of PromoRepublic. His company focuses on helping marketing freelancers get new ideas and strategies for content marketing. As PromoRepublic continues to grow, the company is stretching its boundaries to provide more products for freelancers. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Intercom on Product Management What CEO do you follow? — Favorite online tool? — Wunderlist Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — Almost never. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — It’s ok if someone doesn’t like me. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan introduces Max 02:05 – The co-founder of PromoRepublic 03:00 – He owns thirty percent of the company 03:20 – It’s a software service that helps with content marketing. 03:45 – Solving the frustrations of marketing freelancers 04:10 – The business was founded at the end of 2013 04:45 – First year total revenue – 30000 euro 05:00 – Now he has 10k in recurring revenue 05:50 – Total customers: 600 06:10 – Customer pricing is about $12 per month 07:00 -- $650000 raised 07:30 – It was a grant and a soft loan. 08:00 – Churn monthly is 8% 08:50 – They had to decide which customers to focus on 09:30 – They moved to freelance marketers 09:50 – It’s about $100 in acquisition cost 10:30 – The average person stays for about a year. 11:14 – Additional revenue streams 11:25 – Social media templates 11:40 – Like stock photos for social media posts 12:00 – [email protected] 13:30 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Channel your product toward a specific market. When you start to see success, look for additional revenue streams. Come up with an idea that solves a fundamental problem. 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. Toptal – Great for business people to start building their app Wunderlist – Max’s favorite online tool Intercom on Product Management – Max’s favorite business book Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Brian Wong, who started his company Kiip after getting laid off. As his company has grown and matured, his cofounders have moved on. But Brian is incredible grateful for his company and believes in sticking to your decisions and putting your whole heart and soul into your business. Now Kiip is on track to make $20 million this year, so he must be doing something right.   Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Predictably Irrational What CEO do you follow? — Evan Spiegel 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? — Stop taking everything so seriously. Everything is going to work out.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan introduces Brian 01:50 – Kiip is embedded into apps, and it rewards you for achievements in those apps 02:45 – 50/50 revenue share with brands who provide the rewards 03:20 – The economics of partnering with a brand like Gatorade 04:00 – Customers must claim the award for either company to get money 05:00 – Why they use email to deliver the awards 05:38 – Brian’s journey to where he is now, at age 25 06:00 – He found himself in business development 06:55 – Laid off in 2010 07:00 – He met with a few venture capitalists, and a startup seemed like the right direction 08:00 – He and his two cofounders got started 08:30 – They started with $300k 09:30 – Total capital now is $32 million 09:45 – Last year’s revenue was $11 million 10:00 – Margins are increasing as they are becoming more efficient 10:40 – Reducing server costs, marketing costs, and creating different revenue streams 11:25 – They have a unique revenue model that brings in “new money” 12:35 – Engagement rate is 10% 13:10 – Both of Brian’s cofounders have left to do other things 13:45 – How Brian feels about his company’s growth 14:15 – “At the end of the day, it’s what your exit is.” 14:50 – He feels thankful for what he has with his company 15:15 – “Make your decision and don’t look back.” You can always dream about what could be better or different, but follow through and stay committed to what you have. 16:50 – Goal for 2016 is $20 million 17:00 – Hopes to grow the margin more 17:15 – Twitter @brian_wong and Snapchat at bwong91 19:20 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: When you make a decision, completely commit to that decision. It does no good to daydream about what could be better or different. Channel that energy into improving what you have. Take advantage of an opportunity when it is put in front of 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. Evernote – Brian’s favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Deepak Goel, the mastermind behind his new company  KarmaCircles. Deepak says the company is the next-generation LinkedIn. He believes he has found his calling in life as an entrepreneur in the social networking niche.   Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Give and Take What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn Favorite online tool? — Mint, Appear.in Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — Absolutely. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don’t stay in a company for more than two years.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Deepak 01:50 – KarmaCircles is an app that connects entrepreneurs with successful business people 02:55 – Pilots with business schools and corporate companies 03:15 – No money the first year 03:30 – What companies are similar to KarmaCircles 04:20 – A LinkedIn of the future 05:00 – All free pilots right now 05:45 – Why they are not charging for the app now 06:40 – Will the customers pay when they make that shift? 07:10 – If customers like the product, they will stay 07:40 – Target annual contract value size 07:55 – 500 users per month for business schools 08:45 – It can be used by any company that does networking 09:00 – Much larger contracts for corporate companies 10:10 – Capital from six angel investors 10:40 – 6 people on their team 10:50 – They pay $3000/month for six engineers 11:40 – Differences between them and the company Clarity 12:00 – Social networking is Deepak’s “life calling” 13:00 – Karmacircles.com/Deepak 15:00 – Giving of yourself for free will circle back to you 15:45 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: Find the industry that you were made for. If you give to others freely, you will see karma come back around to you. Believe in your business and set high expectations.   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. Mint – Deepak’s favorite online tool Appear.in – A video conversation tool that requires no download Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Massimo Chieruzzi, CEO of AdEspresso. His company, founded in 2013, is now so profitable that he says they don’t need fundraising! Massimo sees only growth for AdEspresso in the future as Facebook ads continue to evolve and improve.   Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Predictably Irrational What CEO do you follow? — Rand Fishkin 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? — Don’t start a startup. Get some experience for a corporate business first.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Massimo 01:30 – AdEspresso was first on The Top on Episode 70 01:50 – Focus on growing and reducing churn 02:25 – Revenue is about $400k/month 02:38 – 2015 total revenue was $3M 02:50 – Fundraising has reached $1.8 Million 03:30 – “We have been profitable this last year, so we don’t need the money.” 04:00 – More than 4000 customers 04:45 – Learn about AdEspresso at Adespresso.com 05:00 – Churn is 7% and is decreasing 06:00 – How long their customers stay 07:10 – 35 people on their team 07:20 – Monthly expenses are around $280k 07:45 – They are growing by at least 15% every month 08:00 – How the company is sustainable 08:30 – Customer acquisition is less than $10 08:45 – Paid acquisition is only content promotion 09:20 – They were founded in 2013 09:30 – What would Massimo sell his company for? 10:20 – @MassimoCw on Twitter or [email protected] 12:10 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: Allow yourself to gain knowledge from different experiences. Find ways to lower your acquisition costs. Get into an industry that has a long life ahead of it.   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 – Massimo’s favorite online tool Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Adam Tishman, cofounder of Helix Sleep. His company gives every customer a custom-made mattress that is even more affordable then retail brands. With several options, customers can come up with hundreds of different combinations to build their perfect, individualized mattress. Learn about Helix Sleep’s goals to continue expanding and to provide the best customer experience. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Made to Stick What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Gross Favorite online tool? — Moat.com Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—About 7. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Learn about customer lifetime value and customer acquisition. Take risks earlier.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Adam 01:45 – Helix Sleep 01:55 – Custom-made mattresses 02:20 – The price is always the same for the consumer 02:50 – Costs to produce are up to $500 in the mattress industry 03:50 – Net margin 04:20 – Growth of the business 04:35 – Founded a year ago 04:45 – Thousands of mattresses already sold 05:10 – Acquisition 05:40 – Podcasts and radio 06:30 – Really successful in the mattress industry 07:05 – A business model that they can scale 08:10 – A simple game, with one product 08:30 – They use their revenue to fuel growth 09:50 – Capital 10:10 – Seed round just under $1M 10:45 – Team of 16 11:00 – First year revenue was lower than their monthly revenue now 11:55 – The technology 12:10 – An algorithm to make the customized mattresses 12:25 – Coding is outsourced 13:10 – The process for finding a developer on Toptal 14:25 – Everyone is pre-screened 14:50 – Legally, you still own the code 15:20 – More affordable 16:10 – Why they chose Toptal 17:00 – Churn is not a focus for this type of business 17:40 – Focus on building the brand 17:55 – The customer experience 18:14 – Hundreds of skews 19:35 – Goals for 2016 20:35 – helixsleep.com, blog.helixsleep.com, and Adam Tishman on LinkedIn or [email protected] 23:00 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: Find a way to provide high-quality products at a more affordable price. Take risks earlier, and jump up the business ladder. Come up with a business model that can be scaled.   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. Moat.com – Adam’s favorite online tool to see how he compares to his competitors Toptal – A platform for finding freelancers Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

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

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

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