Growth Everywhere | Entrepreneurial Stories | Business Lessons

Today we are going to talk about Simple 5-Step Mergers & Acquisitions Checklist! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Garry Tan from Initialized, a company that focuses on investing in high potential software startups at the seed stage and earlier. From starting with $7 million in assets under management, his company has grown to the point where it currently has over $770 million, and they're starting to create over $100 billion in market value. He's invested in companies such as Coinbase, Opendoor, Flexport, Rippling, Patreon, Ro, and more. Even though Garry has established a name for himself as one of the world’s best venture capitalists, today on Leveling Up, he explains why he still thinks of himself as an engineer and designer first. As an investor and partner at Y Combinator, he discusses the influence of Paul Graham on his career and how he learned to be a founder. Tuning in, you’ll find out what questions Garry asks before he invests, how people who want to grow venture capital funds find him, and why angel investors should have a portfolio of at least 20 to 30 companies. Hear about how he chooses wh

Today we are going to talk about 'How to Fail During an M&A Integration?' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going to talk about How to Source M&A Deals? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode of Leveling Up is a little different as AdSkills Founder Justin Brooke and our host Eric Siu interview each other. Justin has a wealth of experience in the advertising industry, having run an agency for years. In addition to founding AdSkills, he is also known for generating millions of clicks in a day, and his crowning achievement of sourcing 17,000 leads in one day. Tuning in today, you’ll hear about AdSkills, how it is different from other marketing training companies, and how Justin uses book funnels to successfully acquire customers. Justin also provides some practical tips for anyone out there who wants to write a book and use the book funnel method. Eric talks about the concept of seeing life as a video game and discusses what he’s learned through the process of writing and publishing his book Leveling Up. Tune in to hear how he managed to generate $65,000 in book sales in a few hours and also provides a valuable growth hack tip for using Non-Fungible Tokens to grow your email list.  T

Today we are going to talk about M&A Transaction Structures: Asset Sale vs Stock Sale! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Eric gives a rundown of the core questions you should be asking during the due diligence of mergers and acquisitions and the implications of each question. Tuning in, you’ll find out how to ascertain what discounts you can negotiate, what assets you could potentially exclude from the sale, what hidden risks you may be taking on, and if the company’s profitability and future potential are worth the price. This episode will help you decide whether or not you want to acquire a business and negotiate a better price. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:33] The first question you should ask during mergers and acquisitions: Why are you interested in exploring the sale? [00:45] Question two: What are your plans with the money? [01:11] Question three: Who are the A-players on the team? [01:30] Question four: What does your marketing and sales engine look like?  [02:02] Question five: What other assets do you have? [02:27] Question six: Who would be staying long term with the company? [02:39] Question seven: W

Today’s guest is Shawn Merritt the co-founder and CTO of Toucan, a Chrome extension that allows you to learn a new language while you browse the internet. Shaun, together with his other co-founders, found a way to level up the existing habits that people already have by creating a chrome extension that allows users the opportunity to passively learn a language without taking any time out of their day. Tune in to find out how Toucan works, and how it is different from other language-learning platforms. Shaun gives us some insight into how the company was established and how it has grown and achieved a vast amount of success in just two years. Hear about their journey thus far, how they are monetizing this product, marketing it, and how they use advertising as a deeper form of learning through their ingenious “Own The Word” concept. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Shaun explains how he and his co-founders came up with the idea for Toucan. [01:29] How Toucan works to teach people new languages passively wit

While Twitter may be old, it is one of the places where some of the smartest and most successful people in the world engage with each other, and it is one of the most helpful social media platforms that exists today. In this episode, Eric gives us some tips on how to make the most of it. Tune in to hear about the power of Twitter advanced search, how to use tweet storms, other best practices, and even formatting tips, to help you level up your Twitter reach.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:19] Why Eric believes Twitter is one of the most helpful social media platforms today. [00:52] The first tip: how to benefit from Twitter advanced search. [01:48] How you can make use of tweet storms.  [02:31] Why Eric would choose Twitter over blogging if he was starting today. [02:44] Why you should post links in the comments instead of the tweets. [03:16] Why you shouldn’t just retweet, you should reply. [03:39] How to tag someone in a tweet so that it looks like a tweet and not a reply. [04:01] Formatting tip: h

If you’re looking for a new career, this episode is for you! From TikTok to Snapscan, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Podcasts, there have been a lot of developments in social media recently, and these platforms have evolved to the point where there is a need to develop new roles. Today on Leveling Up, Eric gives a breakdown of four new social media careers for 2021 and beyond; roles that even Eric is currently trying to fill in his own business. To find out what opportunities exist for you, or what new roles you may need to establish in your company, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:22] Eric introduces the topic by mentioning some of the recent developments across different social media platforms.  [00:45] The first new role: native writers who are really good at creating content for one specific platform. [01:36] Short form video creator: for platforms like TikTok, Snapchat Highlights, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.  [02:20] Content refresher: Updating content that is performing well to improv

A recent report from the Internet Advertising Bureau indicates that US podcast revenues are skyrocketing and are projected to be at over $2 billion by 2023. Today on Leveling Up, Eric breaks down the most important points of this report. Tuning in you’ll hear how the figures in this report relate to Eric’s experiences in podcasting. Find out how brand advertising is approaching parity with direct response and what this means, which content genres are most popular among podcast advertisers, why D2C brands maintain the top advertiser category, and why bigger brands are now buying in. With the growth of the podcast industry and the low competition rates, discover what opportunities you may be missing in the podcast industry today.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:26] An introduction to the recent report by the Internet Advertising Bureau on the growth of podcast advertising revenue. [01:01] The types of sponsorships Eric gets for his Marketing School podcast. [01:46] Why mid-rolls are more premium than pre-rol

Today Eric discusses if personality tests are actually helpful from a business perspective. Tuning in you’ll hear about his three favorite personality tests, how they work, and how they differ. Eric gives a breakdown of what these different tests have said about him and compares his personality test results to those of a team member, Noah. Eric explains how these tests can be used to help team members understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses to work well together, as well as identify gaps that can be filled in with other personalities. Find out whether or not personality tests may be useful for your business and how to choose the one that’s right for you. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Eric explains how personality tests are used in business. [00:55] The personality tests that Eric finds useful starting with Ray Dalio’s PrinciplesYou test.  [01:55] Eric uses the PrinciplesYou test to compare his personality to a team member’s personality. [04:04] How the test can be used to identify gaps and f

How do you start a successful business in the heavily crowded world of CRM? Today on Leveling Up, we talk to Andy Fowler, Cofounder and CEO of Nutshell, a user-friendly sales automation CRM that helps sales reps win more deals with fast onboarding, powerful reporting, and 100 percent free support. He shares some insight into how the business was established, how they developed a reputable sales process for sales automation, and why they made their developers and engineers answer customer calls when they first started out. Tuning in, you’ll learn why Nutshell is different from other CRMs and how, by listening to their customers, refining their product, and providing great service, they have grown into a successful company. Hear why they still make their product team members work with their support team and how they are managing to bring in more customers through helpful content than paid advertising. Tune in to discover how Nutshell has grown to the point that they are bringing in more than five million dollar

Today we are going to talk about the Peter Principle and how to avoid it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going to talk about the book 7 Powers and how I'm using it for my businesses.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going to talk why companies should allow side hustles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going to talk how to hire A-players consistently with this simple hack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Mike Adams, Cofounder and CEO of Grain, a SaaS platform that records, transcribes, and shares highlights from Zoom video calls. Mike shares his history in the tech field, how he came to identify the need for a system like Grain, and how he founded it. He also mentions the many uses and benefits of the platform and its integrations with other platforms. As the founder of MissionU, which was shut down shortly after being acquired by WeWork, Mike talks through that process, the acquisition, and some of the valuable lessons he learned from its success and demise. Tuning in today, you’ll hear the pros and cons of income share agreements as vehicles to provide access to education and training instead of loans, and the importance of transparency. To find out more about Grain, how it makes money, and other insights from Mike as a successful three-time founder, make sure not to miss this episode! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:14] An introduction to three-time founder, Mike Adams.  [00:57] His histo

Today we are going to talk about NFT and answer the question Are NFTs Dying? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While book sales are rarely very lucrative, if you use your book to build an audience it can lead to success in other ways. Today Eric talks about the importance of having a strong message and using that message to build an audience. Tuning in, you’ll hear about why you should consider your book’s total addressable market before you write it, how understanding your audience will help you guide your marketing messaging, and how you can use your book to build your audience through other channels. Find out what we can learn from the success attained by the likes of Russell Brunson, Tim Ferriss, and Gary Vee through publishing books. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:23] The two things you have to do if you’re writing a book: Have a message and be willing to put in the work. [00:55] Why Eric wrote his book Leveling Up and how it ties in with his life’s mission. [01:57] The importance of thinking about your book’s total addressable market. [02:23] How if the message is strong enough it will spread. [02:57] How u