Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: "How do you keep product market fit? (And manage a fully remote org of ~100 people!)" 

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this new episode of the 1 Question podcast, Andrew interviews Chris Federspiel, the CEO and founder of Blackthorn. Chris shared his insights on running a fully remote, almost 100-person business and the frameworks he uses to ensure effective communication and feedback within his team. He emphasized the importance of regular Zoom meetings, documentation, and feedback tools like Butterfly.ai and a virtual suggestion box to maintain a strong company culture.

Chris also shared valuable advice for entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of making decisions, even if they turn out to be wrong, and the necessity of managing expenses to ensure business growth. His journey with Blackthorn, from struggling with multiple products to finding focus and achieving significant revenue milestones, offers a candid look at the realities of entrepreneurship.

Tune in to learn about running a successful remote business and dealing with Zoom fatigue.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: “What do entrepreneurs neglect when managing people"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this episode of the 1 Question podcast, Andrew interviews Ariel Menche, CEO and founder of Raftel Strategy. Ariel, a mentor to many founders and entrepreneurs, highlights the importance of understanding finance in business operations. Drawing parallels to the value of knowing how to evaluate art, Ariel emphasizes the need for entrepreneurs to gain insights into their businesses and without these insights, founders often make - frankly - bad decisions in guiding their business. 

As companies grow, gaining these functionalities over time ensures the best information is presented to decision makers to make effective strategic navigation decisions to enable success.

Tune in to gain valuable insights on the finance functionality crucial for business success.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: “What do entrepreneurs neglect when managing people"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this episode of the 1 Question podcast, host Andrew Elliot Stern had a pleasure speaking with Barry Marshall, founding partner at P5. Barry brings a wealth of experience from his long tenure at JPMorgan and his subsequent roles in the startup world, particularly in HR and organizational consulting.

Barry shares insights on leadership development and maximizing team potential. With a background in various roles at JPMorgan, Barry discusses common pitfalls entrepreneurs face when managing people. 

Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on effective leadership strategies and the importance of investing in team development.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: “How do potential distribution channels affect the actual development of products?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In a recent episode of the 1 Question podcast, hosted by Andrew Stern, entrepreneur Chrissy Bellman, founder and CEO of Levo, was invited to share her insights. Levo is a company that produces a kitchen appliance for infusing oils, which has expanded its product line to include accessories and consumables. 

During the podcast, Chrissy was asked to discuss how potential distribution channels influence product development. She emphasized the importance of understanding the target customer, whether it's a consumer or an enterprise, and the challenges associated with each. For consumer products, simplicity and intuitiveness are key, as consumers may not read instructions and expect an easy user experience. Chrissy shared her own challenges with Levo, particularly with customers understanding how to operate the device's lid.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: “If you're speaking to a start-up, how would you advise them to successfully position themselves?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high-performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this insightful episode of "One Question with Andrew Elliot Stern," Andrew had the pleasure of hosting Seth Weil, a director at Mount Sinai Ventures. Seth brought his extensive experience in healthcare, from his early days as an EMT to his current role in strategic healthcare ventures, to the table for a deep dive into the complexities of selling healthcare technology to large systems.

Seth emphasized the traditionalist nature of the healthcare industry and the challenges that startups face when trying to introduce new solutions. He pointed out that while a startup's solution might be novel, the problems they aim to solve are often well-known to healthcare systems, which have likely been working on them for years. This creates a significant barrier to entry, as healthcare leaders may be hesitant to abandon their existing efforts for an unproven technology.

Andrew and Seth also discussed the importance of finding the right champion within a healthcare system who can understand how a new solution fits within the organization's framework. Seth advised that the champion might not always be the most obvious choice and that navigating the political and operational matrix of healthcare organizations is crucial.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question:"How do you manage people from different cultures?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this insightful episode of the One Question Podcast, Andrew had the pleasure of hosting Tobias, the CEO of Abusix, a company dedicated to making the internet a safer place every day. Tobias shared with us the mission of Abusix, which is to bridge the communication gap between enterprise security teams and internet service providers (ISPs) to combat cyber threats more effectively. He explained how Abusix provides a data platform that allows ISPs to clean their networks and enterprises to report attacks, supported by a suite of tools to automate these processes.

Tobias also gave us a glimpse into the company's experience with working with cultures from different backgrounds. As a German based company, a culture known for its punctuality, he spoke about his experience working with a Latin American team, a culture known for its *non* punctuality. 

What did he do when team members insisted on being on time but some were always late? Find out in this episode.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question:"How did you shape your investment thesis?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high-performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this episode of the One Question podcast, Andrew had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Rawley, the CEO and founder of Harvest Returns. Harvest Returns is a platform that allows individuals to invest in early-stage agriculture companies, aiming to democratize investments in agriculture.

Chris' background as a career naval officer, where he visited war-torn and poverty-stricken countries, led him to appreciate the critical role of agriculture in feeding the world's population. This realization, coupled with his experience as a professional investor, inspired him to create Harvest Returns in 2016.

During their conversation, Chris shared insights into the process of shaping an investment thesis and building a company from his unique experiences. He highlighted the challenges faced by early-stage entrepreneurs in understanding market size and identifying investable opportunities within the agriculture sector.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question:"How do you deliver a world-class experience every single day?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this podcast episode, Andrew welcomes Alan Birnbaum, an expert in directing and operating Michelin star restaurants, to discuss how to deliver a world-class experience consistently in the hospitality industry. Alan emphasizes the importance of understanding that customers come to restaurants seeking something special, even if their day has not gone perfectly. He highlights the power of erasing a customer's bad day by providing an exceptional dining experience.

Alan shares that the goal is to create a memorable experience that leaves customers having such a memorable experience that “it’s a chapter in their biography, and he does that, every single night. He looks for a specific smile from customers that indicates they had a truly exceptional experience. The podcast delves into the significance of the pre-shift meeting, where staff members are briefed on reservations, preferences, and specials. Alan stresses the importance of instilling confidence in the staff to deliver exceptional service without making customers feel like they are being sold to.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question: "What Are You Inspired By?"

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this heartwarming episode of the One Question Podcast, we had the pleasure of welcoming Scott Cravens, the CEO of Julota, a platform that's not a delicious dessert. Scott shared the inspiring story behind Julota, an acronym for "Just Love On Them Always," and its mission to foster community interoperability. He delved into how Julota connects caregivers and manages compliance issues to ensure seamless communication among emergency services, law enforcement, and behavioral health professionals.

Scott, a retired EMT and former head of EMS World, spoke passionately about the motivation that drives individuals to enter the EMS field – the desire to make a significant impact in their communities.

Welcome to 1 Question where creators, CEOs and innovators and artists answer 1 question. 

Today’s question:“What approaches do you take to mentor your team?”

Andrew Elliot Stern is  a Leadership Coach & Performance Coach for high performing individuals. He currently is focusing on tech startup founders. Andrew focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling their vision for the future.

In this episode of the One Question podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing a tech startup founder who is making waves in the financial industry. Our guest, the CEO a SaaS company, shares insights into their business model and how they are helping financial advisors manage compliance.