The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

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

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 th

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 customer

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.” 0

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

Jonathan Gillon, the founder of Roost. His unique business costs almost nothing to run, and is taking over the nation. Though he has experienced failures along with success in his business endeavors, Jon is a self-proclaimed optimist. He sees the potential growth of his business and wants to be the one to take it to its full potential. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing about Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Andy Dunn Favorite online tool? — Geckoboard Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don’t get kicked out of college. Stop getting in trouble. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:25 – Jonathan explains Roost 01:45 – Profits come from a percentage of transaction fees 02:55 – They focus on storage and parking spaces 03:15 – Mostly garages 03:45 – His first-year revenue was zero 04:10 – He found an opportunity with a storage unit that was closing 05:45 – Numbers of buyers and sellers 06:55 – He has a team of

Douglas Lusted, the CEO and co-founder of Linkett. Douglas is an incredible individual who earned his way onto the Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list at the age of 19! He’s taken his company, which specializes in out-of-home advertising, from an idea on paper to an unstoppable force that’s taking on big-time enterprise clients. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Lean Analytics What CEO do you follow? — Kurtis McBride Favorite online tool? — Calendly or Prospect.io Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Absolutely not. If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Keep on doing what you’re doing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 –Linkett is an analytics platform 02:20 – It is sold as an annual subscription 02:35 – Company was founded in 2013, and it was his first business venture 03:05 – First-year revenue was $100000 03:50 – Money and capital raised 05:00 – Their team now 05:20 – Growth for the company over the past year and a half 06:10 – Monthly recurring revenue (about $25

Tony Leonard, founder and president of nurseVersity—a company that uses next-generation tools, cutting-edge research, and adaptive, personalized learning structures to help nurses and physical therapists prepare for the respective industry exams with maximum efficiency. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Who Moved the Cheese What CEO do you follow? — Bill Gates Favorite online tool? — There are several Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Sleep more; eat less. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:09 – Nathan’s introduction 01:25 – Tony’s company operates under a monthly subscription format 01:45 – He helps people pass their qualifying exams the first time 02:15 – 10,000 customers, with $152,000 in revenue last month 03:00 -- $35.50/month per customer 03:30 – Scholarship program 05:00 – One-time payments 05:40 – How they manage churn 07:30 – Cost to get a customer 08:40 – Company is based in Louisville, Kentucky 09:00 – Churn for their company 10:15 – Lif

Sam Caucci, founder of Sales Huddle, a training and development team using gaming technology to help organizations better prepare their people for the workforce. With work delivered across North America, Europe, and Asia, Sales Huddle has impacted people across organizations in a wide array of sectors and clients, that include professional sports teams, politics and government, hospitality, retail, colleges, and many more. They’re applying an innovative approach to people preparing for the workforce, and Sam is over the creation of the training game platform. It is the first game-based platform that transforms the way an organization on-boards, trains, and develops team members. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Emotional Intelligence What CEO do you follow? — Someone who’s not living right now Favorite online tool? — Rapportive and Mixmax Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20-year-old self know one thing, what would it be? — Not to think I knew everything. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:09 – Nath

Cam and Akin, founders of Baby Mori. Their business was started in 2015, and it is already seeing 50% growth each month. Learn about Cam and Akin’s recipe for success as we discuss their products and how their business is run. They are showing incredible numbers for their startup, so let’s take some notes on how these two single guys saw financial success in the baby industry. Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? – Google Hangouts Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Go for it, in terms of entrepreneurship   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:26 - Nathan introduces Cam and Akin, founders of Baby Mori 01:44 – Cam and Akin target gifters 02:20 – Cam and Akin explain the company 02:51 – Revenue came mostly from parents and gifters buying directly 03:22 - They talk about their multiple skews and how they manage them. 04:43 – Their sleep suits are their best sellers. 05:25 – M

Brendan Candon, cofounder and CEO of SidelineSwap, a community market where athletes buy and sell their sports gear. Most of their users are middle school, high school, and college athletes selling online for the first time. They’ve got revenue and traction with gross sales running close to $2 million. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – High Output Management What CEO do you follow? — Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour Favorite online tool? — Slack and Appear Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 7 – 10 If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —“Be sure, with whatever you’re doing, that you can do it for five years.” Time Stamped Show Notes: 02:22 – Nathan introduces Brendan 01:40 – SidelineSwap makes it easy for athletes to buy and sell sports gear. 02:25 – SidelineSwap was launched in 2012, and really took off in 2015 03:22 – The company takes 12 percent from the seller to make money. 04:33 – They didn’t make any money for the first couple years, but in 2015 they did $400000 in sa

Khuram Hussain, founder of Inbox 2 and now Fileboard. The two companies reached multi-million-dollar worth, and Khuram provides insight into his two businesses and how they have succeeded. He gives us an idea of Fileboard’s revenue and what factors go into his company, which has grown to be worth millions in just a few short years. Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – Zero to One 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? — Not to go and run for corporate   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Khuram Hussain 01:44 – Khuram started Inbox 2 in his twenties. 02:31 – Khuram explains the history of how Inbox 2 started 03:15 – Inbox connects everyone from one single platform (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) 03:44 – Inbox grew to 60 million users 04:22 – Inbox was bought by MyLife 04:44 – Khuram valued the business by user base and engagement 05:05 – Inbox was a team of 12 peo

Hank Leber, founder and CEO of Vytamin. Vytamin is a marketing technology software that provides an end-to-end marketing solution. The business made $460,000 the first year and is excelling in its industry. Hank will share his insights from failing with his first business to succeeding with the next. He is a great example of an entrepreneur who has persevered to create a service that works. Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? —Jason Lemkin Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No way If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Cheat a little   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:28 – Nathan introduces Hank Leber, founder and CEO of Vytamin 01:55 – Hank worked with Travelocity before Vytamin 02:16 – Vytamin is marketing technology software for an end-to-end marketing solution 02:47 – The service starts at $1000/month 03:24 – Vytamin is a SAS company 03:54 – Hank’s first business was founded at the beginning of 20

Adam Lee, cofounder and CEO of Bohemian Guitars. The business sells guitars made out of recyclable materials, and the majority of its sales in through the website bohemianguitars.com. Nathan and his brother are now making over $1 million per year, and their initial marketing strategy focused on crowdfunding. Their marketing strategy has found the secret to making money through these crowdfunding sites. Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – Tribes by Seth Godin What CEO do you follow? — Nick Woodman Favorite online tool? — Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Definitely not If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — I wish I wasn’t caught up in saving for the future   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Adam Lee, cofounder and CEO of Bohemian Guitars 01:40 – The company is a retail brand and manufacturer, with guitars made out of recyclable materials 2:20 – A guitar costs about $250, with $50 cost to produce 02:48 – Most sales go through the website 03:05 – They sta

Ryan Levesque, author of business methodology book Ask. Ryan wrote his book as a unique type of “business card.” It was a marketing tool for his “Ask Method” for businesses. After putting $1 million into his book, Ryan is now seeing the benefits, with tens of thousands of copies sold and a viable business in the education industry. Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk 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? — Don’t be so afraid, man   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:16 – Nathan introduces Ryan Levesque, author of Ask 01:55 – Ryan wrote the book as a business tool, “a business card.” 02:40 – The first half of the book tells his personal story, a polarizing element for the book. 04:08 – more than 55,000 copies have sold. 04:35 – He was introduced to a publisher with no royalty, and his second book will have an advance 05:18 – He spent $1 million

Alex Berman, cofounder of Inspire Beats, a B2B lead generation company that focuses on cold emails to help businesses succeed. The business took off quickly and is now worth about 1.3 million. With no money raised, Inspire Beats’s secret recipe is clearly working. Listen to Alex and I discuss a few ingredients in his recipe for success. Famous 5: Favorite Business Book? – 10X Rule What CEO do you follow? — Chris Hardwick Favorite online tool? — Streak Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Almost 4 hours of sleep at night If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Power emailing   Time Stamped Show Notes: 1:20 -Nathan introduces Alex Berman, cofounder of Inspire Beats 01:54 – Alex explains Inspire Beats, a B2B lead generation company 02:39 – Form Stack used Inspire Beats to reach people in the US 03:15 – Alex talks about their different price packages 03:55 – They have over 700 clients 04:20 – Revenue is about 1.3 million per month 05:35 – There are thousands of companies who do the

Amanda Newman, who opened her first store in high school. She became a realtor, and went on to create Park Bench - a SaaS business that creates neighborhood-focused websites for realtors who want to connect to their community. She and her partner made $880k in revenue last year and this year they’re shooting for a million.   Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – Predictable Revenue What CEO do you follow? — Grant Cardone Favorite online tool? — Unbounce Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Take some computer programming and design courses   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:23 – Nathan’s introduction 02:22 – Park Bench creates neighborhood-focused websites 02:47 – Amanda wanted to create value for the communities that she worked in - so she built a neighborhood website 03:34 – Local businesses put deals and promotions on the website 04:15 – “After the first one, it was easier to create the second one” 04:40 – Amanda sells neighborhood sites

Mike Wilner, the co-founder and CEO of Compass, a web design marketplace for small businesses. Mike’s a Venture For America fellow and has secured funding for his startup - a platform which handles marketing and project management for web designers and connects them to small business clients. Listen in to find out why you should forget the startup hype and focus on putting one foot in front of the other.   Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – The Servant What CEO do you follow? — None. I prefer following athletes. Favorite online tool? — Asana Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Close If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Don’t believe all the hype in the startup world. There are just as many falls as there are success stories.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:18 – Nathan’s introduction 01:50 – Compass works with network of freelance web designers - they connect small businesses to designers, manage projects, and take a cut 03:23 – Compass takes a 40% cut of everything that co

Anh Vu, the founder and CEO of Avocode - a tool to connect front-end designers and back-end developers and make fantastic collaboration simple. Anh’s background is in design, but he’s building a SaaS business with negative churn and great profits by being totally on top of his numbers.   Famous 5:   Favorite Business Book? – The Startup Playbook What CEO do you follow? — Hiten Shah Favorite online tool? — Chart Mogul Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —Measure everything, be really data driven, and focus on retention   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan’s introduction 01:50 – Avocode makes it easy for front-end designers to share information with back-end developers 02:50 – The designer uploads the design into Avocode, where all the team can access it, leave notes, and make revisions. Then the developer can access all the design assets through Avocode 03:25 – As of May 2016,  $50k MRR 03:57 – Launched in February 2015 03:54 – $25