Proposify Biz Chat

LTV with Kyle Racki Your first decisions as a software founder should revolve around transforming your unvarnished app into a functional, profitable, and scalable digital product. In this episode of LTV, Kyle defines product management, explains its importance in the early stages of a startup, and outlines what to look for when hiring a product manager.

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O Today’s fastest growing companies are the ones creating an incredible user experience. We all have our favourite products, but what is it that makes using them so seamless and enjoyable? In this episode, Kyle sheds some light on the supposedly dark art of UX, and digs into the fundamentals of designing a great user experience. Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on running a software company: https://medium.com/@kyleracki/2f868510651

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O Even with a blockbuster idea, your app won’t make money overnight. Are you willing to devote years to building your product, and eventually running a software company? In this episode, Kyle explains why apps don’t make you get rich quick, and offers some advice to help you decide whether building an app is right for you.   Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on running a software company: https://blog.kyleracki.com/do-you-actually-want-to-own-and-operate-a-software-company-1e0b7a694412

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O You finally have a product to market, and that’s good news because your bills are piling up fast. You’ve got two options to keep the company on its feet: hunt VC cash, or make some sales calls. In this episode, Kyle makes a case for why founders should strive to be the best salesperson in their company, and why drumming up customers in the early days is more important than inking investors.   Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on sales advice for CEOs: https://blog.kyleracki.com/early-stage-founders-sales-will-solve-almost-all-of-your-problems-a9c9657fb38f  

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O If you’re a CEO you’re likely in one of two camps: a long-term planner who keeps an even keel, or an aggressive decision maker who isn’t afraid to rock the boat. Tune in to hear why Kyle recommends being a little of both, and how to get there. Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on the two categories of CEOs: https://blog.kyleracki.com/ceos-are-you-prepared-for-war-998eca29ae96

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O It’s a long journey to the top of the market, and you’ll never make it without tackling one major roadblock along the way - the competition. In this episode, Kyle shares tips on beating your rivals by harnessing your company’s strengths, and discusses how a little competition is actually good for business. Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on getting ahead of the competition: https://blog.kyleracki.com/how-to-crush-your-competition-honestly-and-ethically-4a55de44fb1f  

A company performs best when everyone is moving in the same direction, but getting your staff on the same page can be challenging when everyone has their own priorities. A simple way to get everyone together is hosting regular all-hands meetings. In this episode, Kyle shares his formula for running all-hands meetings, and discusses the benefits they bring to his company, Proposify.   Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on running an all-hands meeting: https://blog.kyleracki.com/how-i-use-all-hands-meetings-to-build-company-culture-32e76ee053e3  

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O Proposify only had two dozen employees at the time, and Kyle and his co-founder Kevin Springer knew they needed reinforcements to triple their staff over the coming year. In this episode, Kyle talks about how they went about finding a killer HR manager and the value she’s brought to the growing company. Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on hiring an HR manager: https://blog.kyleracki.com/why-we-hired-an-hr-manager-with-only-24-employees-df48a797604e 

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O Kyle and his co-founder Kevin Springer resisted taking VC in the early stages of Proposify, reluctant to hand over control of the company. In this episode, Kyle shares what changed their mind about accepting major funding, and talks about the twists, turns, and surprises that led them to choose their investors. Read Kyle’s full length Medium post on his journey of accepting an eight-figure investment: https://blog.kyleracki.com/the-story-of-raising-proposifys-8-figure-series-a-funding-cb6b8b372c6c  

LTV with Kyle Racki For more info: https://bit.ly/2py685O We set out to redevelop our software to stave off growing competition with a better user interface. We knew it was a big undertaking, but nothing would have prepared us for the mammoth challenges it presented: burnt out developers, stressed support staff, and frustrated customers to name a few. Find out what Kyle had to say about whether the rebuild was worth it, and what he would do differently next time. Read Kyle’s full length Medium post on the trials and tribulations of rewriting Proposify 2.0: https://bit.ly/2RIszC0

LTV with Kyle Racki In this episode, Kyle weighs in on how agencies can determine whether or not it’s wise to accept equity in a startup as payment for services. He explains how to figure out the true cost of the investment, how to analyze the deal you’ve been offered, what a good opportunity looks like, and some common red flags. Read Kyle’s full-length Medium post on exchanging services for equity in a startup: https://blog.kyleracki.com/6-things-agencies-should-consider-before-exchanging-services-for-equity-in-a-startup-cb81e9ca506a See more: www.proposify.com/podcast

Host Kyle Racki welcomes listeners to LTV, formerly Proposify Biz Chat. In this show, he’ll draw from his experiences of building SaaS company Proposify to frankly discuss the challenges of scaling a business, and offer wisdom to other entrepreneurs. Download now to learn more about upcoming episodes, and hear Kyle explain the rebranding of Proposify Biz Chat. See more: https://www.proposify.com/podcast  

Read Kyle’s full length Medium post on risk and entrepreneurship. https://blog.kyleracki.com/entrepreneurs-think-differently-about-risk-6dec78fe76d6  

Proposify Biz Chat For more info: https://www.proposify.com/podcast/089

In this interview, Mandi Ellefson of The Hands-Off CEO talks about how business owners need to add more value to their services so they can charge more; why you need to sell clients on results, not your process; and the hard truth that the reason your business isn’t scaling is because it isn’t profitable enough. Mandi also warns about what happens when a business owner is stuck in the ‘doer’ mode, spending too much time actually doing their service and not enough time growing their business.

This post was inspired by a question from one of our UK readers, Dean. Dean’s a WordPress web designer who normally charges his SMB clients £4-6k for a high-end brochure-style website; no gateway, no API, no bells, no whistles. As luck would have it, Dean has a lead with a large £1Bn+ company who wants a similar kind of straightforward website. He’s wondering if he should charge this enterprise-level business with VERY deep pockets the same amount that he charges his small/medium sized business clients for the same service. For more information check out our blog post at: https://www.proposify.com/blog/charge-enterprise-clients-more-than-smbs

In this interview, Kevin Brown of Mighty Ally talks about how he ended up founding a marketing agency in Uganda, why all companies regardless of their sector can —and should—be changemakers, and how even Wall Street is getting behind the idea of integrating profit and purpose and expecting social responsibility of its corporations. He also outlines the four steps your company can take toward making ‘shared value’ a part of your brand.

John Doherty is the founder and CEO of GetCredo.com, where they help businesses find the right marketing partner to work with. He has a decade of experience in SEO across in-house roles, agencies, and private consulting.

Bastian Ernst is the founder and CEO of Wild Audience, a consulting company that uses respect-based marketing and relationship funnels to get people to act and convert. Bastian mentored at Close.io under Steli Efti and then did the opposite of most founders: he LEFT Silicon Valley to establish his start-up in Costa Rica.

Tucker Max has sold over 3 million copies of his books worldwide, and is the third writer to ever have three books on the New York Times’ non-fiction best seller list at one time. Since his nomination as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2009, Tucker went on to co-found Book in a Box – a company that has created a new way to turn ideas into books.