Eavesdrop LIVE Podcast

Oftentimes, when FinTech startups receive funding, they spend a lot of it on hiring new employees. During this episode, I explain the numerous negative consequences of growing your team before your company is ready for it. 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:50] What many FinTech startups do when they receive funding.  

[01:13] The numerous problems that are associated with hiring people in a hurry.

[04:21] A common occurrence that takes place when experienced people join a less mature team. 

[05:43] What often happens when people aren't 100% occupied at work. 

[06:10] Complaints that are likely to arise when startups hire people before they need them.

[07:02] A commonly-held false belief about growth. 

[08:11] Why needing an expert is not a good reason to hire someone. 

[09:19] The three factors that lead to the growth of FinTech startups. 

[10:52] The correlation between knowledge and risk-taking. 

[11:15] What is required of FinTech founders when they are trying to grow with a big team.

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

Most FinTech startups believe that the reason for their many unfinished projects is that they have too many ideas and too little time and resources to get them all done. However, I think this is a huge misconception, and in today's episode, I explain why!

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:50] The belief held by most startups about why they have so many unfinished projects.

[01:49] Why I believe so many FinTech startups run out of money.

[02:12] The problem with believing that a lack of resources is why projects are abandoned.

[03:28] The root causes of many problems in FinTech startups.  

[04:09] Issues with the way many startups approach hiring new talent.

[08:07] An analogy that highlights the dangers of abandoned projects. 

[09:38] Analyzing Elon Musk's first steps as Twitter CEO.

[11:07] What to do if your company is struggling with a multitude of abandoned projects.

[12:37] The three key components that enable progress and growth in FinTech startups.

[12:47] Pros and cons of hiring new people. 

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

There is no better time than right now to look deeply at how to design and test projects, make faster decisions, reduce team conflicts, and keep costs low. So, today we will be taking some lessons from the strategy that Elon Musk has utilized as the new Twitter CEO. 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:49] Why this episode is a special one. 

[01:52] Elon Musk's main goals for Twitter.

[03:29] A Tweet that Musk posted during his first week at the company. 

[04:16] Why Musk decided to increase the number of verified users on Twitter and the implications of this decision. 

[06:15] The approach Musk took to enhance user engagement at Twitter. 

[08:19] How the external world responded to the changes Musk made at Twitter.

[09:04] Why I believe Musk's actions have saved the company a lot of money.  

[12:47] Predictions that were made about Musk'sTwitter that have not materialized.  

[14:48] The benefits of making quick decisions. 

[15:34] An overview of the lessons from Musk's actions at Twitter that can be applied to any FinTech startup. 

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

In the last episode, I discussed the just-in-time method and how that is more effective than reactive firefighting, and I am now following up on that, talking about how I discovered the just-in-time method. As some of you may know, my earliest FinTech work was with Amazon and PayPal, and I share the lessons that I learned from projects on which I was the compliance point of contact.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[01:04] I talk today about how I discovered the just-in-time method while working for PayPal and Amazon.

[01:32] The biggest lesson I took away from Amazon and PayPal.

[03:20] Asking customers lots of questions doesn't work with big companies.

[04:41] Representing compliance at a FinTech means people will be biased against you.

[06:18] I was working at PayPal in 2014.

[07:16] I don't really believe in failures.

[09:52] How I needed a sense of accomplishment and making progress at the job I had at the time.

[12:12] The European Banking Authority issued guidelines which PayPal forgot to address.

[14:18] How I defined my job.

[15:12] I was invited to join a few other projects.

[18:13] Summary of what I learned and accomplished.

[19:03] My approach was the only thing that changed.

[20:42] The second lesson that I learned.

[23:18] I finish up with my golden rule.

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

I wanted, for the first episode of 2023, to talk about why FinTech companies should be testing their decisions before testing their products. I walk you through the biggest mistake that startup FinTech companies make and why building a project from the bottom up generally does not work, and I explain the difference between reactive firefighting and just-in-time compliance and why the latter is more effective. In summary, instead of testing a product that is nearly ready, you need to first test the decision to launch the product first.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:42] I hope that we have a beautiful 2023 ahead of us.

[01:50] Explanation of this episode's title.

[03:06] The biggest mistake regarding using unnecessary resources.

[06:05] FinTech CEOs often view new projects as exhaustive checklists.

[08:33] An example of why startups building a project bottom-up doesn't work.

[11:41] Why projects can get stuck.

[14:07] The difference between reactive firefighting and just-in-time compliance.

[15:13] Just-in-time is more efficient than reactive.

[17:26] Problem with relying on an authority figure.

[19:56] What FinTech teams really want given time and money constraints.

[22:21] Please be sure to listen to the next episode!

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

For the last episode of the year, I wanted to reflect on what has been a challenging year (to say the least) but one filled with valuable lessons. I hope that you are able to make peace with everything that has happened in 2022 and enter 2023 feeling refreshed and renewed! 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:56] What I hope 2022 consisted of for you.

[01:38] The importance of getting closure on this year before making plans for the next one.

[02:53] Progress that I made in 2022. 

[04:10] Examples of the professional issues I dealt with this year, and what they taught me.  

[07:20] What I learned about linear planning and resource allocation in 2022. 

[08:01] Spiritual approaches that I experimented with this year. 

[10:19] The importance of staying true to your values and maintaining independence of thought.  

[12:43] Some big moments and favorite resources from 2022. 

[14:29] My hope for all of you for 2023.

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

The purpose of a business is to serve customers and make money. So, doing something at the expense of the overall company's success because it is the "right" thing to do from a compliance standpoint is, in my opinion, a broken strategy. Tune in today to hear my thoughts on why compliance teams need to be humble! 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[01:04] The conversation that inspired today's episode.

[02:22] Why I don't believe that letting go of people in compliance departments will always negatively affect a company.

[03:44] Examples of basic compliance principles. 

[06:16] My definiton of humility.

[06:51] The importance of remembering what the overall purpose of a business is.

[07:49] A traffic metaphor to explain why compliance teams need to be humble.

[08:52] An example from my own life that highlights the value of humility.

[10:55] The factors that I believe are responsible for most successes in business. 

[11:14] The attitude that is counterproductive to success.

[11:42] What it means to be humble. 

Show links:

• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

In the aftermath of the crash of FTX, many crypto exchanges have announced their readiness to publish their proof of reserves data with the aim of reassuring customers about the safety of their funds. Tune in today to hear my thoughts on this as well as the changes that I expect to see as a result of the FTX crash, the future of VASPs, and more! 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:50] The announcement that had been made by many crypto exchanges since the FTX crash and why I think it is only a minor enhancement. 

[02:21] Why it is important for a VASP to have a certain amount of their own funds.

[03:57] One of the issues that led to the downfall of FTX.

[04:19] The benefits of issuing your own tokens. 

[05:01] Factors that cause most of the problems in the cryptocurrency space. 

[05:17] Why publishing the proof of reserves doesn't address the issues in the cryptocurrency space.

[06:48] The changes that I expect to see as a result of the FTX crash. 

[08:42] Countries that hold a strong anti-cryptocurrency position (and the main reasons why). 

[09:38] My thoughts on CBDC projects in their current iteration.

[11:18] What the future holds for existing VASPs. 

[12:28] Valuable resources for anyone interested in applying for a VASP license. 

Show links:

• To join my live workshop: FinTech Licensing versus White Label Solutions: Pros and Cons. 
• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

Professional education and certification programs promise to teach us valuable skills for the FinTech industry, but they aren't teaching us the things that matter! Tune in today to hear why these programs do more harm than good and what I recommend doing instead. 

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:39] The lie that professional education and certification programs tell us. 

[01:16] Examples of how this lie negatively impacts people. 

[05:58] Why people choose to enter professional education programs.

[06:18] Why professional education programs will not benefit your FinTech career. 

[07:31] How professional education programs take advantage of people. 

[09:08] Reasons that professional education programs don't help with networking.

[10:08] The difference between formal education programs and Mastermind groups.

[11:26] The factor that helps me decide which Mastermind to join. 

[11:54] Why confidence is the key to achieving your goals. 

[13:13] Advice for overcoming your fears and training your "confidence muscles." 

Show links:

• Join the Impact Mentorship Program! 
• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.

Is your team suffering from Boomers' Syndrome? If the answer is yes, you are not alone! Tune in today to hear why the traditional approach to compliance is so problematic in today's world and what you can do to help your team move away from it.

If you found value in this episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a review! My mission is to help and support as many FinTech startups as possible, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast and help their companies! If you are on Apple, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is. 

Today's episode:

[00:40] The focus of today's episode: the problem with Boomers' Syndrome and what to do about it.

[01:33] Questions to ask yourself to determine whether your compliance team is suffering from Boomers' Syndrome.

[03:38] Why even young, smart people contract Boomers' Syndrome.

[04:01] Institutional environments that Boomers' have grown up in.

[05:18] What many compliance officers think their job is.

[05:56] An overview of what the traditional compliance approach looks like in practice. 

[07:45] A brief explanation of the agile approach.

[08:20] Why the agile approach makes most compliance offers feel uncomfortable.

[09:07] The tensions between compliance teams and other teams within many FinTech organizations. 

[09:47] The problem with compliance education. 

[11:35] What to do if your team is suffering from Boomers' Syndrome.

Show links:

• Sign up for the Impact Mentorship program here! 
• Interested in FinTech compliance? - consider investing in the FinTech Compliance Self-Starter Package!
• I would love to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. If you are interested, please click here.