The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

Tim Ray, the founder and CEO of Carnivore Club, a speciality meat subscription business. Tim sold his first company, Foodscrooge, within 4 months of starting it. He’s currently the CEO of two companies and is hoping to double Carnivore Club’s profits this year. Listen as Nathan and Tim talk earning out and buying, bootstrapping a business, and how to get the most from podcast advertising. Favorite Book? – 48 Laws of Power What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favourite online tool? — None Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Almost If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— Swing for the fences. Be bold and swing big. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:01 – Nathan’s introduction 01:42 – Welcoming Tim to the show 01:58 – Tim started his first company, FoodScrooge, to allow consumers to buy bulk frozen food surplus 02:40 – Revenue in the first year was $150k - they were bought within 4 months 03:07 – Sold for $2.1 million on an earn-out scheme 03:45 – Tim acquired Broquet for $150,000 04:25 – B

Michael Mogill, president of Crisp Video - a company that bridges the gap between video production and video marketing. Michael started the business on his own three years ago, and now has 15 employees and clients including Coca Cola and Red Bull. Listen as Nathan and Michael talk return on investment, finding a marketing edge, and focusing on progress. Favorite Book? – Delivering Happiness What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuk Favourite online tool? — Dropbox Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— To stop doubting myself, and not apologise for the standards I hold people to Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:14 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Michael to the show 01:45 – Generate revenue from video production and implementation 02:10 – The clients Michael’s most proud of are the small businesses 02:48 – One attorney in Nebraska doubled his business by using marketing videos 03:45 – He went from an average case value of $1,000 to an a

Kenny Hawk, the CEO of Mojio. Kenny made millions from iGo, a company he started in his dorm room in the 1990s. He’s now turning his expertise in wireless technology to good use at Mojio - a company backed by Amazon and Deutsche Telecom that uses cloud-based tech to link your car to the internet. Listen in to hear lessons from the dotcom boom, how Mojio can slash your garage fees, and why Kenny’s expecting to sell almost 2 million units in the next 2 years. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Built to Last What CEO do you follow? — Larry Ellison Favourite 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? — The most important choice in life is the people you choose to be around you Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:09 – Nathan’s introduction 01:37 – Welcoming Kenny to the show 01:45 – iGo was Kenny’s first CEO gig - he started the business in his dorm room before graduation 02:30 – iGo created universal charging adaptors for mobile devices 02:50

Peter Himler, the man who set up the New York Times’ paywall. Peter’s an experienced PR and media consultant, and the founder of Flatiron Communications. Listen as Nathan and Peter talk subscription vs. native advertising, the growth of content marketing, and the importance of influencers. Favorite Book? – The End of Big What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— I absolutely do If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— How to be more assertive with my boss Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:30 – Welcoming Peter to the show 01:55 – Peter helped the New York Times launch their first paywall 02:45 – What can agencies do to make sure they retain talent? 03:00 – Large agencies have invested in digital strategies 04:00 – Flatiron create content marketing for their clients 04:35 – Content sites with a paywall are a growing trend 04:50 – How did you execute the NY Times paywall? 05:10 – The first paywall was unsuccessful - ‘Times Select’

Khalid Saleh, co-author of the bestselling book Conversion Optimisation. Khalid’s an expert on conversion whose company, Invesp, has grown companies from tiny startups to giant powerhouses. Listen as Khalid and Nathan talk leaving a salaried job, turning a consulting business into an SaaS giant, and running a global fundraising round. Favorite Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? — Alex Turnbull What is your favorite online tool?— Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Hell, no! If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— That I need to be laser-focused. There’s opportunity everywhere - you just have to focus on it. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 02:20 – Welcoming Khalid to the show 02:35 – Invesp makes money by consulting on conversion optimisation 03:00 – Companies pay a monthly retainer for ongoing optimisation services 03:45 – Charge a minimum of $8,000 per month 04:00 – Companies stay 15-24 months on average 04:25 – Invesp was founded in

Rob Biederman, founder of HourlyNerd - a platform that bypasses traditional consultancies to help companies hire just the experts they need. HourlyNerd serves more than 4,500 companies, including GE, Microsoft and American Apparel. Listen as Rob and Nathan talk about spotting a market gap, dividing equity, and why you should have studied computer science. Favorite Book? – Only the Paranoid Survive What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Immelt What is your 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?— Take some computer science papers Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan’s introduction 01:40 – Welcoming Graham to the show 01:56 – “Companies use us when they have a pressing need for a solution that can’t be provided by their current workforce” 02:00 – HourlyNerd makes money by taking a small percentage of transactions 02:30 – Example: connected GE to a robotics professor who could educate them about commercial robotics 03:30 –

Preston Lee, the founder of Millo. He’s making $8,000 per month from a website and newsletter that started as a side project. Millo is a business resource and newsletter for creative entrepreneurs. Preston’s built an incredibly engaged community and a list that actually thanks him for sending out sponsored emails. Listen in to hear how to make sponsorship deals that your audience love, how to build revenue from a side project, and why it’s important to think like a business from the start. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The $100 Startup What CEO do you follow? — Ben Chestnut Favourite 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? — How to think more like a business Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:07 – Nathan’s introduction 01:40 – Welcoming Preston to the show 01:43 – Millo is a blog and a newsletter for people who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs, freelancers, or creators 02:30 – Email list of about 30k, and a high level of eng

Graham Williams, one of the creators of Fun Fun Fun festival and head of Transmission Events. The festival’s first year had only 3,000 attendees...now it lasts 3 days and welcomes 20,000 people. Listen as Nathan and Graham talk about building up an event, the economics of festivals, and why you should start building your dream sooner. Favorite Book? – I’ve never read a business book… 1984 What CEO do you follow? — None What is your favorite online tool?— Gmail Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— I think I made the right decisions for the most part...I wish I’d started my company a little earlier. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan’s introduction 01:40 – Welcoming Graham to the show 02:10 – Started Fun Fun Fun festival in 2006 with the head of Alamo Drafthouse 02:45 – Cost around $100k to produce and sold around 3000 tickets in the first year 03:15 – Left Emo's to start Transmission Events, a booking and promotions company 03:20 – How

Jason Greenspan, the founder and CEO of Whoosh!, a screen-cleaning product that’s on track to make over $5 million in sales this year. Listen as Jason and Nathan talk about creating a start-up with a physical product, what good margins look like, and how to convince people they have a problem. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Purple Cow What CEO do you follow? — Kevin Plank What is your favorite online tool? — Pipedrive 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? — To start a business then! It’s much easier before you have responsibilities. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 01:44 – Welcoming Jason to the show 01:54 – Whoosh! is a best-selling screen-cleaning spray and wipe 03:05 – Was on the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den 03:40 – Founded in 2009 03:50 – Pivoted in 2012 from making car-cleaning products 04:05 – Knocked a cleaning product onto his iPad by mistake 04:30 – Filled one-ounce bottles and handed them out at CES

Ben Williamson. Ben went from teaching himself to code, to working with Steve Jobs. After 10 years at Apple, Ben’s building Yoshirt - a custom apparel tool that’s priced at $5 million after just two years. Listen as Ben and Nathan talk through fundraising, insecurities, and building an incredibly successful startup. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Way of the SEAL What CEO do you follow? — Nathan Latka What is your favorite online tool? — Periscope Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Recently, no If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — You don’t need anyone else’s permission. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:30 – Nathan’s introduction 02:17 – Welcoming Ben to the show 02:25 – Ben’s second time on the show - he was here in episode 23 02:53 – Yoshirt was founded in 2014 03:00 – “Custom, on-demand apparel from your iOS device” 03:08 – Last year ran an over-subscribed fundraising round that closed at $1.1 million 03:30 – Priced round at a post-money valuation of $5 million 04:10 – 13 full-ti

Laurie Lane-Zucker, founder and CEO of the Impact Entrepreneur Centre. Laurie’s created a network of 10,000 entrepreneurs who are chasing the triple bottom line: making a positive social and environmental impact as well as a profit. Listen in to hear how Laurie funds his dream to make a difference; why you need to expand your bottom-line thinking, and how to get started as an impact entrepreneur. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – The Way of the Wizard What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favourite online tool? — Linkedin Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— I wish I knew about entrepreneurship earlier. I wish I had the opportunities that millennials have now to pursue their own goals. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:53 – Welcoming Laurie to the show 02:07 – An ‘Impact Entrepreneur’ is someone who wants to create companies that do good in the world, and to nurture a network and ecosystem that support these values 03:10 – W

Troy Sultan, founder and CEO of Resource, a company that’s trying to automate the recruitment process. Troy was the first recruitment officer at Grooveshark, and later left Google to return to his passion: startups. Listen as Troy and Nathan talk about Troy’s career path, managing co-founders, and why you shouldn’t rely on venture capital. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The War of Art What CEO do you follow? — Gary Swart What is your favorite online tool? — 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? — Slow down to speed up. And think about what you’re really good at. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:30 – Welcoming Troy to the show 01:47 – Troy founded a startup out of college, then joined early Grooveshark 02:10 – Grooveshark got sued for $17 billion 02:40 – Troy went into hiring at Google in 2013 03:00 – Built a startup in the last year of college - “we made every mistake” 04:00 – Decided to work with Grooveshark to lea

Zander Adell, co-founder and CEO of Doorman. Zander’s aiming to solve the frustrating problem of finding a note on your door, instead of your Amazon or FedEx package. He left his job as technical director at Pixar to go to business school, and wound up solving one of the stickiest problems in e-commerce. Listen as Zander and Nathan talk logistics, changing a business ecosystem, and dreaming big. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Good to Great What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos What is your 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? — To focus on the big dream, not the little pieces along the way Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:26 – Nathan’s introduction 02:00 – Welcoming Zander to the show 02:20 – Zander left Pixar in his early 30s to go to business school 02:50 – He wanted to understand how to get a business off the ground 03:10 – Fascinated by the logistics element of apps 03:40 – Worked in the gaming industry briefly before

Holly Cardew, a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 list and the founder of Pixc - an online image optimization service. Holly dropped out of college to grow an image editing empire that’s making just short of $1 million in revenue each year. Listen as Holly and Nathan talk about Pixc’s bootstrapping ethic, the importance of revenue over investment, and how to get the most from an affiliate program. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? — Ben Chestnut, though he’s kind of hard to track What is your favorite online tool? — Intercom Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — I wish my parents had told me to go to Silicon Valley. I should have learnt how to code. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan’s introduction 01:56 – Welcoming Holly to the show 02:03 – Holly took a corporate job in London after university 02:20 – Tried multiple online businesses before Pixc 02:40 – Pixc is an online image optimization service 02:50

Lance Mysyrowicz, the founder of Boost&Co. Lance is an investment fund manager who specialises in European startups. He currently manages over $150 million in assets. Listen in to hear about Lance’s latest investment, the details of early investment in tech startups, and what interest rates you could expect for your startup. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Behind the Cloud What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk What is your 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? —I wish I knew what makes me happy today - spending time with people I love, and the things I love doing Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:08 – Nathan’s introduction 01:36 – Welcoming Lance to the show 01:50 – Boost&Co lends money to companies earlier in the process than banks 02:20 – They sit in between VC and banking as an investor 02:55 – Have loaned $120 million to over 100 business 03:43 – Last company was a SaaS firm called Idio that lets people track w

Steve Sims, the colorful legend behind The Bluefish. Steve’s the founder of a luxury concierge company that can arrange anything from singing with Journey to getting married in the Vatican. Listen as Steve and Nathan talk about the secrets of engaging people and making impossible things happen. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Cat in the Hat What CEO do you follow? — Tony Hsieh What is your favorite online tool? — I actually use a pad and pen Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No! If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Everything will be all right. Just keep on going, and keep your word. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:30 – Nathan’s introduction 02:13 – Welcoming Steve to the show 03:20 – Steve got into the concierge business after being a club doorman 03:50 – “I don’t lie...like me or don’t like me” 04:15 – 99% of Steve’s clients are entrepreneurs 04:50 – “I psychoanalyse the shit out of them” 05:40 – One guy wanted to meet Journey: we got him onstage singing with them 06:20 – I alway

Matt Shook, founder of Juiceland: an organic juice business that’s taking over Austin. Listen to Matt and Nathan for insight into a bricks-and-mortar startup that’s becoming wildly successful. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Prometheus Rising What CEO do you follow? — Tim League What is your favorite online tool? — Gmail 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 be so afraid of what other people think Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 01:36 – Welcoming Matt to the show 01:55 – Founded Juiceland in 2011, after making juice for 8 years 02:33 – New location on 4th street sold 2000 drinks in one day 03:30 – Frost Tower downtown store has triple the sales of anywhere else 05:15 – In 2015, 275 employees at 16 locations 05:40 – Net margin of 5% across the company 06:40 – Makes about 40 cents on a $10 drink 08:20 – Business is all bootstrapped 05:25 – Retainer of $50-75k per month 08:30 – First shop was opened for $15k with a frien

Prem Bhatia, CEO and co-founder of Cooleaf. Cooleaf’s a B2B platform that helps companies organise, coordinate and track their engagement efforts. Listen as Prem and Nathan talk about breaking out of the corporate world, getting startup funding, and acquiring customers at no cost. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Alliance What CEO do you follow? — Dharmesh Shah What is your 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? —Do it sooner. You’ll learn on the job. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 02:10 – Welcoming Prem to the show 02:40 – Prem left the corporate world aged 35 to begin a startup 03:20 – Gave up a salary supporting his family 04:40 – Cooleaf is a SaaS platform designed to help businesses with engagement efforts 05:30 – Currently has 25 active customers 06:05 – Average annual contract of $25-30k 06:20 – Acquiring customers through inside sales - personal outreach; a blog 07:05 – Not spendin

Qin En Looi, the CEO and CMO of Glints. Before he turned 20, Qin En had published 20 behavioural science research papers in international journals. He’s put his expertise in psychology and growth hacking to good use...He’s now focused on creating the best possible platform to help graduates find jobs they love. Listen in to hear how Qin En’s growing his talent pool by 15% each month with almost no spending; why word of mouth is the best possible marketing tool, and why you should take care with your first seed capital. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Influence What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk What is your favorite online tool? — Google Calendar Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —To spend more prudently. Don’t waste your money. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan’s introduction 02:17 – Glints aims to help young people discover what they love to do 03:00 – “5 years ago I would never have expected to have built a company” 03:28 – Glints ma

Andrew Howlett, Chief Digital Officer at Rain, and a board member at the Society of Digital Agencies. Andrew started a million-dollar cleaning products business online at 26, before moving into marketing consultancy. Listen as Nathan and Andrew talk marketing, strategy, and how to get out of finance. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People What CEO do you follow? — Maurice Levy What is your favorite online tool? — Pipedrive Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —That finance wasn’t the direction I wanted to go - it would have been great to understand computer science more Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 01:40 – Welcoming Andrew to the show 02:00 – At 26, started a website that sold cleaning supplies 02:35 – At 29, started Rain 02:40 – uClean had total revenues of $200k in its first year; almost $1 million the next year 03:30 – Clear around $200k each year from uClean 04:05 – Rain’s latest clie