In this episode, Jonathan interviews Stephen Whiting, his brother and co-founder of StreetText, a platform for performance-based marketing through Facebook and Instagram ads. Stephen shares his journey to entrepreneurship, his fascination with problem-solving through teamwork, and his thoughts on the future of technology, specifically AI and robotics. They discuss the challenges of marketing in the digital age and the importance of standing out and generating new relationships as a business owner. The episode ends with Stephen encouraging listeners to embrace challenges and view every obstacle as an opportunity for personal growth.

Family man, driver, and a great storyteller - Steve is a natural leader and athlete. Steve is passionate about solving the core needs of customers. Competitive at heart, he's a triathlete, award winning realtor and a young business entrepreneur. StreetText is changing the way people generate online leads, for the better. They create opportunities for businesses to meet prospective clients by using advanced lead capture technology, expert advertising and one of the world's largest advertising platforms, Facebook. They make it easy to attract leads consistently, start conversations automatically and grow your business - today.

What we discuss:

[00:01:30] Stephen talks about his childhood interest in business and his admiration for the James Bond character and the idea of working on big challenges with a team.

[00:09:28] Stephen talks about the advancements in technology and how it is possible for the average consumer to access it. 

[00:13:00] The two discuss the advancements in robotics and AI and how it can be both impressive and terrifying. 

[00:30:21] Stephen shares his journey in choosing a university major, considering computer science and business, and his interest in all aspects of business without wanting to be defined by any specific role.

[00:33:14] Stephen talks about how he approached someone he admired and offered to work for free to learn from him.

[00:38:32] Stephen shares his idea for a platform to market open houses and make them more successful, and how it came about from his own experience as a real estate agent.

[00:42:51] Stephen talks about how he and his team created a website to market a new construction building.

[00:46:30] Stephen talks about how he and his team came up with the idea for StreetText.

[00:54:20] Stephen talks about the birth of StreetText and how they started pitching their new product to existing clients.

[01:02:27] Stephen discusses how the advertising landscape has changed over time, with the emergence of new platforms and the increasing complexity of each platform. 

[01:07:47] Stephen emphasizes the importance of a business's existing database and the need to stay top of mind with customers.

[01:14:38] Jonathan explains how paid advertising is a powerful way of growing profitably and how it can lead to a tangible ROI. 

[01:17:54] Stephen discusses how human nature and time delay can affect the success of a business and how waiting a little longer can lead to greater returns.

[01:20:27] Jonathan discusses one of the most common reasons why people struggle in their careers

[01:25:31] Stephen talks about how challenges in business can build confidence and faith, and encourages listeners to exercise their "muscle" of resolve and recognize their accomplishments, regardless of where they want to be in the future.

Episode Resources:

Stephen Whiting | Linkedin

Stephen Whiting | Twitter

Stephen Whiting | StreetText

Stephen Whiting | StreetText Twitter