Cold Star Project

* BUILDING a business 

* RUNNING a business

* Running a SUCCESSFUL business  

are all different things, and Ken Moskowitz of AdZombies is on the Cold Star Project with Jason Kanigan to tell us stories that highlight the differences.  

We begin with the question, "Do companies actually learn anything?", and continue with how to put the right people into the right seats.  

Our discussion about scaling covers:  

What business are you in? What business are you really in? And what business should you be in, to "future-proof" your business? Ken poses and gives his real-world examples to answer these questions.  

This is one of the top five interviews I've hosted. 

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Daxy Perez, founder of Legacy Podcasting and the Podcasting Success Secrets group on Facebook, is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan to talk about growing your podcast.  

We discuss:  

He also describes from the examples of his clients what an underrated podcast looks like, sharing important details podcast hosts can build into their own shows.  

Daxy points out that podcasting is not "like launching a product; it's not.: it's like starting a book. All right: now there's a lot more work to be done." 

 Talk with us: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar 

Swell System founder Derek Schmidt is back on the Cold Star Project and he's got some new stories of scaling to share. We discuss:

- How business owners are using Swell to document their processes, so they can free up their own time and energy and learn

- How agency owners can give up control of key tasks like bidding on jobs without fear that their people will screw up

- Derek's appearance as a Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED)-featured tech presenter for a $50K grant - info at cednc.org

Swell is an integrated business management solution and is one of Cold Star Tech's Preferred Vendors. More information can be found through our referral link at https://coldstarproject.com/preferred-vendors/

Talk with us: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar

Are Companies Actually LEARNING Anything?

Without accurate documentation, the story changes over time. And if the story changes over time, what can you say you've really learned?

If you're not documenting what happens in your business, you and your people won't learn anything. Operational excellence will be an impossibility.

You say, "Yeah, I know that," but I know hardly anyone is documenting anything. The processes, and the data that results from them, are in their heads or not recorded at all.

And they data they do have? The accountant doesn't know what their production people need--and the production people don't know to ask accounting for it.

So you don't "know that."

How do you sell a scaling business? Particularly a process-based, zero employee business?  

Peter Hoskins of RareCurve has succeeded in multiple six and seven-figure exits and this time on the Cold Star Project we're discussing the details of how he did it. What factors were involved in this seven-figure sale?  

- How did Peter get the business organized to sell?  

- How did he find an appropriate buyer?  

- What kind of commitment was required to make the sale happen?  

- How long did it take?  

These and many other questions are answered in this extensive interview with a business creator who understands the importance of process and documentation. Join Peter Hoskins and Jason Kanigan for this in-depth conversation about selling a scaling business.  

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10XTS (advanced fintech and regtech solutions provider) and Founder Institute - Cincinnati prime mover Michael Hiles is on the Cold Star Project and we're talking about big thinking and capital markets. This is a conversation far above the "tips and tricks" level and could well be an eye-opener for you.  

We talk about fintech software, blockchain and cryptocurrency, creating your own opportunity zone investment fund, and improving capital efficiency. You'll learn the difference between "balance sheet" dollars versus "hustle revenue" dollars and what scaling your financial processes might look like.  

The kind of fund Michael shares details about here is useful to offset tax gain liability.  

We also cover how you can begin to develop your own expert contact base, which is the key to opening doors to working at a higher level.  

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Jesse Shaw is one of two principle data scientists at LexisNexis. He's using machine learning to recognize fraud on behalf of client institutions, typically financial & insurance. I sat down with Jesse on the Cold Star Project to get a reality check on what AI really is, its capabilities, and how you can get into the data science field. The truth is, we're all going to become data scientists to some degree.  

We first clear up the misconceptions of what AI is. Marketers are fond of saying they "use AI" when all they're really employing are nested If-Then functions. This is especially irritating to me, so Jesse's definition will tell you what Artificial Intelligence really is.  

While a huge data lake has been collected over the past decade, and is continually being added to, this data is inert by itself. Jesse shares some ways machine learning is being used to sort this data into useful results.  

In fact, he is using AI to reveal insights about fraud in his role at LexisNexis. Without giving away any trade secrets we discuss how AI is helping Jesse see fraud through graphical data representation.  

In follow-up, I ask Jesse what tools or abilities he would appreciate now--that he wouldn't have thought of a year or two ago--that would make his work easier. On the way to these LexisNexis has developed a  new programming language called KEL: it makes running queries with AI easy even for non-techie presidents and CEOs.  

Finally, I ask Jesse if he believes more roles like his will be springing up, or if data science remain a relatively small niche. If you're interested in getting into the data science field or becoming a data scientist, you'll want to hear this--because Jesse didn't come into the role by a regular path. 

 Talk to Cold Star: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar 

On average 130 people die from opioid overdose every day [CDC.] "If I see injustice you must act": David Reeser is a leader in the true sense of the word. In striving to leverage the AI skills of his other business and harness the power of the community in Wilmington NC through opiAID, David is leading the work to over come the opioid epidemic.  

The process begins with language: recognizing that victims of the opioid overdose crisis are our neighbors. And we help our neighbors.  

David is one of the most genuine, Be-Here-Now people I have met. His intention on solving this deadly problem is laser-focused and I have no doubt that he will achieve the goals opiAID has. I attended the monthly meetup held to update stakeholders at Tek Mountain, and was very impressed with the 30+ medical, therapist, startup and other professionals in the room.  

From the opiAID website: "opiAID is a technology assisted therapy (TAT) offering an integrated communication platform that allows ALL Partners the ability to coordinate their efforts to save the life of at least one Neighbor. With real-time communication and accurate data – all working on a compliance-driven and fast cloud-based platform – this SaaS application will result in better reporting and more accurate data. Ultimately, lives will be saved and the cost of combating this disease will dramatically decrease.  

"For our Neighbors, we are designing a wearable device with the capacity to detect cravings and alert a family member or counselor in the event of an emergency. If an overdose is detected, the device will deliver Naloxone and reverse the effects of the opioid, all while alerting emergency medical professionals of the Neighbor’s location."  

opiAID is gathering community members and leaders in a way that hasn't happened before: it's more than technology.  

opiAID website: http://www.opiaid.tech/  

opiAID article in WRAL Tech Wire: https://www.wraltechwire.com/2018/11/12/wilmington-startup-opiaid-applies-ai-power-to-substance-abuse/ 

CDC information page on the opioid overdose crisis: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html 

Talk to Cold Star: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar 

NinjaOutreach was a 4 year startup SaaS for founder Dave Schneider. He and a co-founder worked with this idea for years, developing an MVP and then improving it until the opportunity to sell the product came along.  

Dave's story is unlike the typical "We're perfect and did everything right" tale you'll hear spun by most SaaS founders. In this episode of the Cold Star Project you'll hear honesty about capabilities, marketing, churn and more that will make you sit up and take notice of what it really takes to succeed in the SaaS world.  

While other founders will give you a snow job about how well they're doing and the performance of their product, Dave Schneider steps up to the plate to share the reality of what the SaaS experience is like for a whole lot of founders who choose this path. 

Talk to Cold Star: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar 

Peter Loving is the founder of the SaaS Founders and Execs group on Facebook, and from this position he has seen the pitfalls of many SaaS founders as they try to scale.   

In this interview on the Cold Star Project, Peter shares the critical problems he has seen new SaaS founders run into again and again.  

If you're thinking about becoming a SaaS founder, or are one who is struggling to find customers, this interview will show you the big issues between you and having a scaling business. And they are typically things you should consider before you begin your SaaS business...not when you're in the middle of it and stuck. 

 Talk to Cold Star Tech: http://bit.ly/talktocoldstar