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Why You Should Build Communities, Not Audiences with Tony Whatley In the tech and software industry, there is a lot of skepticism around coaching. Too many people are coaching who haven’t actually achieved their own success. Today’s guest, Tony Whatley, is an exception. Tony is the founder of 365 Driven, a program to help entrepreneurs build and scale their businesses, as well as the author of Side Hustle Millionaire. He tells us how he built a business in the automotive community and sold it for a seven-figure exit before successfully replicating the model for another business, and how he got into the coaching industry after a near-death experience that changed his perspective and his priorities. Learn about 365 Driven, how it works, and how it’s different from other coaching programs, before understanding the difference between communities and audiences, and the importance of building life-long relationships in business. We discuss Clubhouse; how much time we spend on it, and some of our frustrations with

If you have ever thought about writing a book, today’s episode is for you! Eric shares wisdom from his experience of publishing his book, Leveling Up. Tuning in, you’ll hear what you should ask yourself before you write a book, what the publishing process actually entails, and the importance of marketing, as well as the pros and cons of the different publishing models available. While book sales are not a good way to make money, Eric explains the other ways writing a book can help you level up in life and in business.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:23] What you should ask yourself if you are thinking of publishing a book. [00:43] Why Eric wrote his book, Leveling Up. [01:13] Why you shouldn’t write a book if your focus is to make money from it. [01:42] Thoughts on whether or not people still read books. [02:09] What goes into publishing a book. [03:29] The differences between self-publishing, traditional publishing, and hybrid publishing. [04:34] The importance of marketing your book. [05:35] Closing

Launchpad Business Case Study: Using One Business To Scale Into Multiple Businesses A launchpad business can be any business without a lot of overhead, where you can use the capital gains to scale into multiple other businesses. Today, we speak with Ben Schneider, CEO, and Founder of Jobmofy, who is doing just that. He tells us about Jobmofy, a premium job platform for remote employees that has made more than €10 million in sales from Facebook ads. He explains what led him to start this business, how its security features make it different from other job platforms, and how it generates income in a number of different ways. He also shares how the business is entirely self-funded from his other businesses. Find out how to know when you’re earning enough to scale into a new business venture and how Ben manages his different businesses in today’s bonus episode! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:15] Introduction to Ben Schneider, CEO, and Founder of Jobmofy.  [01:09] How Jobmofy is different from other job platfor

Today on Leveling Up, Eric looks at enterprise influencer marketing. He introduces the topic by examining a recent survey of 163 enterprise marketers and their experiences with influencer marketing. Tuning in, you’ll hear about how influencer-created content compares to brand-created content and what kind of success enterprise marketers have achieved through it. Find out what type of influencers you should target, what tool you can use to find them, and which channels you should use.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:20] Before we start, don’t forget to subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:28] The results of a survey of enterprise marketers and their experiences with influencer marketing.  [01:03] What we can learn from the fact that 71 percent are increasing their budget for 2021. [01:24] How influencer-created content compares to brand-created content. [01:45] Why enterprise marketers should try influencer marketing if they haven’t already. [02:16] A recommended tool for finding influencers, lookin

How Dan Martell Helps SaaS Founders Grow By 216% on Average Today we talk to Dan Martell, the founder of the Saas Academy, which is currently rebranding as Saas Coach. He is renowned for coaching growth-minded B2B SaaS Founders to achieve their perfect exit and for helping those founders grow by 216 percent on average per year. In today’s episode, he shares openly about his struggles with drugs, the law, and even his weight before he managed to turn his life around and become a millionaire by the age of 27. He explains how his approach to both business and his health has produced results on both fronts. We discuss what makes Dan different from other coaches, how Taki Moore has influenced his coaching, and what his new project High Speed Ventures is all about. Hear about the ‘buy-back’ principle that Dan uses to scale businesses, why customer retention is possibly even more important than growth, and how he helped one client grow from 30k - 140k in monthly recurring revenue. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW

Why Clubhouse Is NOT The Next Big Thing Despite us investing a significant amount of time on Clubhouse this year, there are good reasons to believe that the new platform will not, in fact, be the next big thing. The chief reasons for this come down to the amount of hours that are necessary to gain any sort of traction, and the competitors that are rising up to challenge Clubhouse in the drop-in audio game. Tune in to hear all about why you can still use Clubhouse, but should avoid going all-in on it. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:15] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:22] The amount of time Eric has spent on Clubhouse early in 2021. [00:46] Drops in engagement with the platform and the spike in Clubhouse's competitors. [01:27] The difficulty of establishing a user base and how this counts against Clubhouse. [02:29] How copying occurs across these social and business platforms. [02:37] The drop-in audio revolution; no going back fro

How The Morning Brew Co-Founders Hire The Best Media Talent & Think About The Future Today we speak to Co-Founders Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief of The Morning Brew. This daily email newsletter is an entertaining source of news and information for over three million subscribers. From its small beginnings six years ago, this digital startup has grown to the point where Insider Inc. bought a controlling stake in the company for a reported amount of up to $75 million last year. In the show, Alex and Austin give us some insight into how they began working together and grew the company from a small newsletter into a multi-platform media brand. They explain how they built a strong team and managed to level up by recruiting the right people. Hear about the future of newsletters in light of the success of Substack, how they foresee the development of the creator economy, and what business trends they find most interesting going forward. They also share why they are so prolific on Twitter, their thoughts on other pl

What Are Shoppable Livestreams? In today’s episode, Eric talks about shoppable live streaming, which is a livestream where someone talks about products that viewers can buy. He provides statistics to demonstrate the success of Amazon live streaming and describes some of his own success with selling his book live on Clubhouse. Find out what we can learn from the success of shoppable live streaming in China, the different platforms you can use, and how valuable it can be to those in e-commerce. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:14] Eric starts by explaining what shoppable livestreams are. [00:41] How Amazon is using shoppable livestreams. [01:18] Eric’s success with his book live in a Clubhouse room.  [01:48] Why conversion rates are so high. [01:59] Some statistics that demonstrate the growth of shoppable livestreams. [03:00] The benefits of educating yourself about Amazon live streaming and learning from the success of the Chinese if you’re in e-commerce. [03:21] Different platforms you can use for shopp

Whether you want to be self-employed or create a source of income to fund other projects, there are many good reasons to start your own digital marketing agency. Today, Eric breaks down a step-by-step guide on how you can do this. From reaching out to the people you most want to work with, to creating content to target them, finding work through different sources, and building a network, he covers all the bases. To level up from starting your side hustle to reaching your first 100k, tune in today. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] Eric introduces today’s topic by mentioning some of the reasons you might want to start a digital marketing agency. [01:02] The goal: your first 100k or to replace your salary.  [01:23] Why companies should encourage their employees to have side hustles. [01:54] Eric’s experience of being fired for having a side hustle. [02:16] Reaching out to your Dream 100: the top 100 people you want to work with. [02:36] Different channels you can use to reach out to people. [03:05] Deci

Today, Eric looks at the new Google Ads Insights, which surfaces trends tailored to your business so that you can see if you're keeping up with demand for trending products or services, and proactively formulate campaigns for related products. Hear about how this is Google’s way of trying to protect their ad revenue in the face of increased competition, and the implications of these increasingly AI automated processes on the future of marketing agencies. Tuen in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Google Ads Insights and what it means for you as an advertiser.  [00:29] What it does: it tells you trending keywords to help you proactively formulate campaigns for related products.  [01:21] Google's incentive: they want you to spend more on ads. [01:42] How Google is trying to protect its ad revenue in the face of increased competition. [01:59] How computers are increasingly automating these processes for us. [02:25] Why agencies need to evolve over time, especially on the creative

Sleep is one of the ‘power-ups’ in your life and, in order to perform at a high level, it’s important to get good rest. From preparing for bed to preventing disturbances and monitoring your sleep patterns, today’s episode looks at some quick yet powerful sleep hacks to help you perform at your best! We factor in the environmental, physical, and chemical factors that can help maximize your sleep quality for the ultimate night’s rest.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:23] The importance of sleep as one of the ‘power ups’ of your life. [01:27] Tip 1: Putting a piece of tape over your mouth. [02:34] Tip 2: Sleeping at 68 or 69 degrees. [03:18] Tip 3: Using an air filter to ensure high-quality air. [03:39] Tip 4: The benefits of tracking your sleep with an Oura Ring. [04:08] Tip 5: Cooling your mattress and monitoring your sleep with an Eight Sleep. [04:48] Tip 6: Being wary of taking too hot a shower before bed. [05:16] Tip 7: Avoiding screens before bed; read a book or use glasses with blue light filters.

How Zeus CEO Kulveer Taggar Plans To Tackle The $18B Corporate Housing Market Today’s guest is Kulveer Taggar, CEO of and co-founder of Zeus, a new flexible way to rent that caters for utilities, furniture, and fixed leases. Since 2015, the company has made over 150 million dollars in revenue and they have set their sights on the 18 Billion dollar Corporate Housing Market. Kulveer explains how he became an entrepreneur and sold a business for $5 million when he was only 24-years-old. He talks about how his motivation changed from making money to solving a problem, what inspired him to start this company, and how he continues to find ways to make it easier for people to move around and stay in places for longer periods of time. He also explains how the pandemic affected the business, how they survived it, and how it influenced their strategy going forward. Hear about how they managed to achieve customer acquisition long before they ever hired a marketer, and how they managed to scale from 100 homes to almost

The greatest predictor of human longevity, apart from genetics, is close ties and social integration. According to today’s guest, research has shown that even the success of a business can be traced back to the oxytocin levels (the chemical released when you feel a connection) found in the bodies of its employees. Jon Levy is the founder and host of Influencers, a private organization that arranges dining experiences dedicated to bringing together exceptional people and thought leaders. He is also a behavioral scientist and author who has a new book coming out, titled You Are Invited, about how to create connection, trust, and a sense of belonging. In this episode, John talks about how the human brain is wired for novelty, why networking events and swag bags are a waste of time, and how to genuinely foster human connection. Tune in and learn about the IKEA effect, the Mere-exposure effect, and an art heist at the Louvre that will blow your mind! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Jon Levy.

Today on Leveling Up, Eric looks at the social media trends for 2021. He gives a breakdown of what’s growing in popularity and what’s declining or leveling out. He gives a breakdown of his five favorite social media platforms right now and provides some insightful advice as to where you should or should not be targeting your efforts right now in terms of growth potential, competition, and organic reach. To level up on your social media game, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:14] Eric introduces this topic with a breakdown of trends in the usage of each platform. [02:28] Eric explains why he is most excited about YouTube. [03:20] Why LinkedIn is currently Eric’s second favorite platform: organic reach is strong. [03:40] Number three is Twitter: it enables Eric to interact with some of the smartest people in the world through DMs. [05:00] Number four is podcasting. [05:23] Why starting a blog in 2021 is a bad idea. [05:33] How to choose which social media platform to target: Go for low compet

Why Clubhouse Will Fail In today's episode, Eric continues his series on Clubhouse by explaining some of the major obstacles facing its success. He talks about how he became addicted to it, built up a following, and spent a significant amount of time on it, before dropping his usage by 90%. Hear about the problems with Clubhouse's execution, monetization, and follower retention, as competitors like Twitter and Facebook launch their own versions.   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:19] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:23] How Eric started using Clubhouse in December 2020. [00:54] Clubhouse’s success among course-creators and coaches. [01:26] How Eric ended up spending 30 to 40 hours a week on Clubhouse. [02:12] Why Eric’s usage of Clubhouse dropped to 4 hours a week. [02:41] The emergence and threat of copies by competitors like Twitter and Facebook. [03:08] Copying may not kill you: Snap Chat / Snap is still successful despite being

In today’s episode, Eric shares the SEO strategy that he has found to be significantly more valuable than link-building: relationships. Find out how he came to believe that content and links were the two most important things for SEO and the lengths he went to to get links before he realized that relationships were far more beneficial. Tuning in today, you’ll also learn how you can build relationships and establish networks that will get you links but also have a much bigger payoff in the long term. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to today’s topic. [00:19] A breakdown of Eric’s businesses and how he came to believe that the two most important things for SEO are great content and links.  [01:00] Creating linkable assets, guest posts, directory links, and other things Eric did in the past to get links. [01:44] How social media and email provide touch points for building relationships.  [02:03] Eric shares examples of the time-consuming nature of relationship building. [04:08] Why you sh

In today’s episode, Eric shares his thoughts on Apple’s new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and analytics feature called Podcast Connect. He explains how one of its features enables podcasters to add different channels for SEO, email, and paid media, among other things, to group or curate episodes. Eric compares this to the membership platform of Supercast and breaks down the pros and cons of each. To find out whether or not Eric will be making use of Apple’s new features and why, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Apple’s new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and analytics feature Podcast Connect. [01:09] How Apple has enhanced their podcast analytics: Stepping things up because they have been losing ground to Spotify. [01:29] New feature: You can add different channels for SEO, email, paid media, to group or curate episodes. [01:45] Eric compares Apple Connect to Supercast and breaks down the pros and cons of each: Apple doesn’t provide much data, Supercast takes a percentage

Startup Secrets with Activision Co-Founder Howard Marks Welcome back to another episode of Leveling Up hosted on Clubhouse! Today’s guest is Howard Marks, the legend behind Activision and Acclaim who has recently been pioneering crowdfunded investing with his company StartEngine. We also open up the floor to a bunch of different people in the Clubhouse chat who ask brilliant questions all centered around building a successful startup, from how to land funding to defending yourself from the competition. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [02:12] The story of acquiring Activision, moving to LA, and the innovations that followed. [12:53] Alisa Jacobs from Queens Gaming Collective introduces herself and her company. [14:48] Further details of Howard’s process of acquiring Activision. [17:10] Trouble Activision was in and Howard’s process of reinvigorating it. [21:36] Feeling things out, thinkin

How I Sold $65,000 of Books Using Clubhouse While Clubhouse might not as big a thing that some have been professing it to be, that does not mean that it has no use to you and your business. In today's episode, Eric explains how he used the Clubhouse app to spark $65,000 worth of book sales and the smart methods he used to up-sell certain customers. Tuning in you will hear about NFTs, what it takes to build Clubhouse credibility, and more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:11] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:29] The rooms that Eric hosted on Clubhouse to boost his sales of Leveling Up. [01:31] Time that Eric spent building relationships on Clubhouse in early 2021.  [02:15] How Eric redirected conversations on Clubhouse to the bulk orders page on his website. [03:50] The possibility of selling NFTs on Clubhouse and the money that is currently being made. [04:44] Concerns about the future of Clubhouse and why it might not beat out its