The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

Anand Kulkarni, co-founder of LeadGenius. Anand left his job as a researcher and teacher at Berkeley to develop a tool that uses automation technology to find effective sales leads. Listen as Nathan and Anand talk over starting an SaaS business and exactly how to run an effective fundraising round. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Only The Paranoid Survive What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk 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? —I wish I had known how much fun it is to start a company - I would have started sooner! Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:22 – Nathan’s introduction 01:54 – Welcoming Anand to the show 02:10 – LeadGenius is AI for sales - ‘top of the funnel automation’ 02:45 – One client is using it to map out every IT director in every Brazilian telecom company, and obtain their contact details 03:30 – Charges between $2k and $1 million a month 03:50 – Started in 2011 03:55 – Total revenue in 2015 was

Gil Allouche, the co-founder of Metadata. Gil’s an expert in digital marketing and AI who worked as a marketing consultant for big-name companies before quitting to co-found a startup. Listen as Gil and Nathan talk digital marketing, growth hacking, and how to work with your co-founders.   Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Enders Game What CEO do you follow? — Brian Halligan What is your favorite online tool? — Hubspot 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 everything is achievable, and that I should set my goals much higher Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Gil to the show 02:10 – Before Metadata, Gil was a marketing consultant for B2B companies 03:00 – Gil’s focus in college was on AI and robotics 03:10 – He followed this with an MBA and focused on digital marketing 03:35 – In February 2016, Metadata had MRR of $35k 04:10 – Currently raising around $2 million in equity in a seed round 04:50 – Would be ha

Danielle Morrill, the technology exec who left Twilio to found Mattermark, a SaaS business that’s aiming to make almost $5 million this year. Danielle’s an ambitious CEO who can’t stand to be bored. Listen in to hear why you should never split equity evenly, why focusing on churn rate will make you lose customers, and the one crucial thing you should think about before you sell your business. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Pyramid Principle What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk 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? —It was all going to be okay. She should stop angsting and just keep doing what she’s doing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:08 – Nathan’s introduction 01:46 – Mattermark is a SaaS firm that lets customers research private companies 02:20 – Helps people who are looking to sell, buy, or invest in companies 02:41 – Launched in 2013 02:50 – First year revenue was around $200k 03:07 – Left Twilio to

Aditya Singhal, an education technology entrepreneur who’s hoping to fully automate tutoring in the next five years. Aditya believes in low-cost, high-quality education for all. Tune in as he and Nathan talk automated education, subscription models, and why Silicon Valley is overrated. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Growth Hacker Marketing What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk What is your favorite online tool? — Twitter 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 how to hack growth faster Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 – Welcoming Aditya to the show 02:10 – There are 21 million college students in the states, looking for help 02:30 – Created TransTutors - an AI teaching assistant 02:50 – Subscription model: $20 each month, 30k customers 03:10 – Not a typical SaaS business model - uses humans assisted by code 04:05 – Revenue is $60-80k per month 04:20 – Business founded August 2014 04:30 – Revenue is 2015 arou

John Rampton: a startup guru who was ranked #3 among the world’s top online influencers by Entrepreneur magazine. John’s recently founded the online invoicing company Due, and is aiming to put Paypal out of business. Listen as John and Nathan break down online influence and how to dominate an incredibly competitive market. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Richard Branson What is your favorite online tool? — Buffer 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 take a lot more risks Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 01:54 – Welcoming John to the show 02:00 – John’s spending the majority of his time working on Due 02:20 – Due is a platform designed to help businesses get paid faster 03:00 – ‘Every person in the world wants to get paid faster’ 03:30 – Do makes money with a 0.5-1% fee on credit card transactions 04:10 – Launched 9 months ago; self-funded 04:30 – Transaction volume in February 2016 w

Robin Thurston, the founder of Map My Fitness and senior VP at Under Armour. Robin built a conversation with cycling buddies into a multi-million dollar app. Listen as Nathan and Robin talk about turning a website into an iPhone app, Map My Fitness’ user base, and the process of exiting a company you’ve founded.   Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Career Warfare What CEO do you follow? — None What is your favorite online tool? — I travel so much - it’s a car-sharing service Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? —You never actually know what’s going to happen Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 – Welcoming Robin to the show 02:10 – The process of founding Map My Fitness 02:40 – Came out of a dinner conversation where someone wanted to map their cycle route 03:10 – Robin wasn’t a developer but had a product background 03:30 – Worked with developers who were also cyclists 04:20 – Bought the ‘Map My Run’ website for $5k 04:50 –

Ryan Moran, creator of the Freedom Fast Lane podcast. Ryan’s new venture is Capitalism.com, which will go live in June. He’s making millions from multiple revenue streams and about to run his second conference. Listen in to hear Ryan and Nathan talk creating authority, how to game the Amazon ranking system, and why running conferences is worth the effort. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Ready, Fire, Aim What CEO do you follow? — Glenn Beck What is your favorite online tool? — My journal 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 there were going to be compounding returns on everything he did. I wish I had gone bigger. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:18 – Nathan’s introduction 01:46 – Ryan was interviewed in episode #140 of The Top 02:05 – Why go from Freedom Fastlane to Capitalism.com? 02:45 – “We wanted something more authoritative” 03:45 – Paid $100k for the domain name 04:40 – Ryan’s generating about $1 million in topline revenue per month throug

Drew Taylor, founder of AstroPrint - a software and app ecosystem described as “the Android of the 3D printing world”. Listen as Nathan and Drew talk 3D printing, making money, and how to dominate an emerging niche. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? — Tony Hsieh What is your favorite online tool? — Trello 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? —I don’t know. I’m a fan of taking life’s lessons as they come. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:11 – Nathan’s introduction 02:00 – Welcoming Drew to the show 02:30 – AstroPrint started because Drew saw that 3D printing software needed to improve 03:00 – Two products: software, and cloud-based app store 03:25 – Free for personal use; charge for commercial use 03:50 – 70/30 split on profits from app store 04:10 – Founded in 2015 - with a different idea 04:45 – $150k total revenue in 2015 05:00 – 9 team members 05:10 – Raised $500k in convertible note 05:50 – Fund

Charlie Mulligan , co-founder of BrewPublik - a business that Charlie wants to become “Amazon for beer”. Brewpublik provide a premium catering service delivering craft beer to homes and offices in cities across the States. Listen as Nathan and Charlie talk expansion, investment, and how much to sell a start-up for. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Goal What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos 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? —To have more confidence. I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:22 – Nathan’s introduction 01:40 – Welcoming Charlie to the show 02:00 – Match over 3,000 types of craft beer to a taste profile 02:30 – BrewPublik delivers beers to your office or home 02:50 – $75 for a case of 24 bottles 03:13 – Offers one-off orders, regular subscriptions and monthly memberships 03:40 – Founded in 2014 04:02 – $275k revenue in 2015 04:15 – Delivered around 80k bot

John Bowen - the man who gives financial advice to financial advisors. John’s an expert in the financial world. After founding six multi-million dollar businesses, John moved on to coaching the world’s top financial advisers on ways to better serve their clients. Tune in to hear John’s advice for Nathan on investment, why entrepreneurship is the best way to make millions, and why you need to be playing the long game. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Bold What CEO do you follow? — David Booth What is your favorite online tool? — SaneBox 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 wasn’t as smart as I thought I was Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:30 – Nathan’s introduction 02:00 – Welcoming John to the show 02:08 – Key firm is CEG Worldwide 02:55 – Created a firm to do research on the best practice of top financial advisers 04:12 – CEG coaches financial advisors. One product is a year-long coaching program that costs $2000 per month. 05:05 – There’s a

Arry Yu, the CEO and co-founder of GiftStarter - a consumer platform for crowd-sourcing gifts. Arry’s a leader in the space where creativity and technology meet. She worked as a consultant for Microsoft, Google and L’Oreal before launching her own startup. Listen as Nathan and Arry talk fundraising, working with co-founders, and what her mom thinks of her career. Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Jonathan Sposado What is your favorite online tool? — Autopilot Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— I just had a baby If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Get away from your insecurities. It’s okay to mess things up - no one else knows what they’re doing either. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 02:05 – Welcoming Arry to the show 02:10 – Launched GiftStarter in July 2014 02:30 – After 12 years in services industry, Arry wanted a change 03:01 – Won 1st place on Hackathon and decided to launch 04:17 – GiftStarter lets consu

John Lincoln, the CEO of Ignite Visibility, California’s #1 SEO company in 2015. John’s an expert on online visibility who’s worked with hundreds of high-profile clients. Listen as Nathan and John talk about Ignite Visibility, quitting a six-figure job, and the process of writing John’s new book Digital Influencer. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Unleash the Power Within What CEO do you follow? — Tony Robbins and Neil Patel What is your favorite online tool? — Basecamp, ColorNote, SEMrush Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — You don’t have to have it all figured out. Take your time to see what’s out there. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 – Welcoming John to the show 01:51 – John started Ignite Visibility at the age of 30 while a director at SEO Inc 02:30 – Gave up a salary of over $100k and a satisfying role 03:04 – “It was literally the scariest thing I’ve done in my life” 03:40 – Invested $10k personally in Ignite

Julian Martinez, marketing director at Maestro Conference, the webinar platform used by Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Julian’s spent 7 years building marketing programmes from scratch. Listen as Nathan and Julian talk webinars, and the nuts and bolts of building a marketing strategy. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Monkey Business What CEO do you follow? — Eoghan McCabe What is your favorite online tool? — Intercom Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Maybe If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — To start travelling more, date more girls, and pay more attention in class Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 01:50 – Welcoming Julian to the show 02:00 – Why Julian left Bid On Fusion to join Maestro Conference 02:40 – Choosing between family and work 03:04 – Julian joined Maestro Conference in 2016 03:20 – Hosts interactive webinars and conference calls 03:45 – Obama, Hilary, and Bernie Sanders all use the platform 04:14 – “A sexier version of GoToWebinar” 04:30 – It’

Thomas Smale, co-founder of FE International, a company with seven-figure revenues that specialises in brokering the sale of online businesses. Listen as Nathan and Thomas talk about valuing SaaS companies, brokerage models, and the importance of focus. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Tipping Point What CEO do you follow? —Elon Musk What is your favorite online tool? — SEMrush Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Focus. I used to jump from idea to idea - it’s far better to focus on one thing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:06 – Nathan’s introduction 01:50 – Welcoming Thomas to the show 02:00 – FE International started at university when Thomas was 22 02:30 – Completed just over 300 deals 02:50 – Last deal was a SaaS business 03:20 – Model: FE will value a business, put together a package, and look for buyers 04:10 – How do you value a SaaS business? The amount of time the owner spends on a business: more time = less valuable The growth prospect

Ryan Urban, the founder and CEO at Bounce Exchange, a fast-growing consultancy that increases online conversion rates. Listen as Nathan and Ryan talk about investing in your own start-up, why some analytics aren’t worth it, and the best eateries in Tribeca. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Psychology of Persuasion 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? — Drop out of college! I should have dropped out instead of going to grad school. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 02:20 – Welcoming Ryan to the show 02:30 – Best eateries in the Tribeca area? 02:54 – Bounce Exchange makes money for e-commerce companies 03:20 – Created a new category of marketing software to increase online conversion rates 04:00 – Why Ryan left Bonobos when he was offered $300k to stay 04:40 – It’s crucial to get the right co-founder for a start-up 06:10 – In 2013 Ryan made a little ove

Omar Zenhom, co-founder of Webinar Ninja. Omar and his partner Nicole used their years of education experience to develop software and training resources for webinars. Omar also hosts the $100 MBA show, a top-ranked podcast with over 50,000 downloads per day. Listen as Nathan and Omar talk through the process of building up Webinar Ninja - as always, with an eye on the numbers. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Anyone Can Do It What CEO do you follow? — Myself 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? — You’ll do better if you rely on your own strengths and skills - don’t look for a path through other people. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 02:20 – Welcoming Omar to the show 02:30 – “Education is a performance” 03:00 – Of Omar’s projects, Webinar Ninja is currently generating the most revenue 03:30 – Over 500 episodes of the $100 MBA show since 2014 04:10 – What you really need to know abo

Jefferson Lilly, a millionaire who left his Silicon Valley job to become an expert in Mobile Home Park Investment. Listen as Nathan goes over the nuts and bolts of Mobile Home Park Investing with one of the industry’s leaders. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Snowball What CEO do you follow? — Sam Zell What is your favorite online tool? — Search Tempest Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — How good this niche of real estate is...I would have started raising outside capital sooner. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:20 – Nathan’s introduction 02:01 – Welcoming Jefferson to the show 02:15 – Why Jefferson left Silicon Valley to enter mobile home investing 02:40 – “Warren Buffett was right” - Jefferson looked for value investments 03:10 – Mobile home parks yield 300-400 basis points more than apartments 03:30 – Jefferson was 39 with a $100k salary when he got involved with property investing 04:30 – First deal was $450k, with an 80% loan from the bank

Rob Walsh, the VP for Podcaster relationships for Libsyn, and recently named as the 5th most influential person in podcasting. Rob was in podcasting before iTunes was: listen as he and Nathan talk through the ins and outs of business podcasting, how to make a successful show, and what to look for when sponsoring a podcast. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – The Art of SEO What CEO do you follow? — Jack Welch What is your favorite online tool?— Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— I have never had 8 hours of sleep If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— The powerball numbers for December 1, 1989 Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:23 – Nathan’s introduction 02:15 – Welcoming Nova to the show 02:45 – What are the trends in business podcasting? 02:50 – Concentrating on ‘new and noteworthy’ is a waste of time 04:02 – The podcast Top 200 list is calculated only by new subscribers 05:10 – New subscribers doesn’t translate to downloads 05:33 – Best resource for investors is the episode list in iT

Nova Spivack, CEO of Bottlenose - a company that uses data mining to predict long-term market trends. Nova’s a notable angel investor, blogger, public speaker, and technological pioneer who’s been involved with everything from the development of Siri to the Daily Dot. Listen as Nathan and Nova talk early-stage investment, big data, and the future of AI. Famous 5 Favorite Book? – Positioning What CEO do you follow? — Myself What is your 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?— That the first internet bubble was actually going to burst...that would have been a great opportunity to sell up! Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 – Welcoming Nova to the show 03:00 – In 2007 Nova was the first investor in Klout - will net about 100x ROI 04:06 – In 2010 started the Venture studio in LA 05:05 – Venture helped incubate The Daily Dot: the internet’s local news website 06:20 – Idea behind Venture is to