Hole in the Whole

How much harder do I need to try to make this work? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss when it's time to stop trying to make something work and move on to another project. Tom believes that many startups don't take the metrics game seriously enough, and they pay for it in the end, and Yana speaks about the stages that startups go through. Yana says that if something feels right in terms of what you do and the results it brings, it might be an indication that you might be on the right track.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everybody!
• [00:53] Tom speaks about getting to where you struggle with further scaling or changing or improving to make the product better.
• [01:40] Yana says that she relates to what Tom is saying, especially in Fintech.
• [03:01] Even though customers want something doesn't mean they will pay for the item.
• [03:42] Tom shares three things that he calls feature highlights.
• [05:27] Yana speaks about her new favorite book called 'Fix This Next' by Mike Michalowicz.
• [07:38] Tom believes that a lot of times, the blame game or finger-pointing is a symptom of not digging down into the details.
• [09:40] Yana shares an analysis she uses with her digital products.
• [11:14] Tom says that a lot of startups don't take the metrics game seriously enough.
• [14:00] As long as you need to put food on the table, you don't care about self-fulfilling work.
• [14:33] Yana says that startups seem to go through stages.
• [17:06] Tom says that once you get to the level of brand name or legacy, you have success.
• [18:33] Yana believes that the most exciting period in a startup's life is how you go from one to the other.
• [20:51] When you have a sense of urgency versus the dream of probability, those are the two elements that keep fighting.
• [21:27] Yana says that compliance should be managed very similarly to agile tech.
• [22:06] Yana's last question is, how would you differentiate between judging a product or service on its own merits versus the executive team's execution and performance?
• [24:15] Tom shares some final thoughts on pivoting or trying harder.
• [24:57] Yana shares her final thoughts.
• [25:34] Thank you for listening to the show!

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Have you ever been called a strong person at work? Listen as Tom and Yana debate whether being called a strong person is a compliment or a curse. Yana feels like when people perceive you as strong, you don't get help when you need it because they figure you can handle it, but Tom believes that calling someone a strong person is a compliment. What do you think? Leave a comment and let Yana and Tom know where you fall in this discussion.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everybody!
• [01:02] Yana believes everyone should stop using the term that they are strong. She says it's unfair. 
• [01:19] Tom says he hates it when people want to police terms!
• [02:10] Yana explains her position.
• [03:16] Tom believes that Yana is taking a mental shortcut.
• [04:32] Yana shares that people only want to help people who need help, so if you are perceived as strong, you won't get the help you might need.
• [05:50] Tom says he can relate to the fact that it is not valid, because you will have problems and issues that you will need to cope with at all levels.
• [07:08] Yana felt that the context that they used in the term strong woman wasn't about business.
• [08:51] Once you reach a certain level of success, do you feel you need a new circle of friends?
• [09:11] Tom discusses the two kinds of social circles that he has in his life.
• [11:46] Yana explains what she means when she uses the term; she is a strong woman.
• [12:41] Tom says that when he calls someone a strong person, he means it as a compliment.
• [14:18] Yana discusses losing friends or people she thought were her friends when she exceeded some level of ambition.
• [16:32] Tom believes that sometimes you exchange social circles because you are no longer on the same level of values.
• [18:11] When you lose friends, you still need a support system.
• [20:24] Whenever you label someone a strong person, think twice because by saying this, you may deny them support.
• [21:04] Tom shares a compromise when calling someone a strong person.
• [21:34] Thank you for listening!

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Do you have a hive mind when it comes to working? Listen, as Yana and Tom discuss their opposing views on this and their analogies between sports icons like Michael Jordan and the queen of a beehive. They both speak about winning as a team and sharing collective success, whether in sports or business. Tom and Yana are on the opposites sides of most of this conversation, but they both have brilliant advice, focus, focus, focus, and follow through to have a successful business.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:26] Hello, everybody!
• [00:45] This episode was inspired by Pavel and a fundraising campaign on kick-starter.
• [02:21] How do you make teams appreciate what other teams are doing?
• [02:58] Tom says it's clear when you are on a kick-starter campaign, but it is an excellent way to see how many people are engaged.
• [06:01] Yana believes that sharing success is easy as long as everyone is happy.
• [06:28] Yana shares a book that is about how to reconcile opposing priorities.
• [08:03] Do you know what your priority is for this week? This month?
• [10:05] Tom believes that people can get into the hive mind and focus only on the queen bee, which leaves many aspects of their life unattended.
• [12:26] Yana doesn't think that human imperfections have anything to do with delivering on a project.
• [12:50] Yana speaks about a documentary on Michael Jordan and what she took away from the show.
• [15:06] Tom shares how he can appreciate the need to win and standing up when you are beaten.
• [16:02] Yana's Michael Jordan analogy falls short because it is easier to be focused on sports where the rules are set, which differs entirely from a business.
• [17:55] Tom speaks about a book called Atomic Habits, which he believes falls into Yana's analogy.
• [19:40] Yana agrees that business is a team sport, even if it's a small business.
• [22:17] Tom doesn't want the listeners to be so focused on your partial role in the company that you don't bother to understand the big picture.
• [23:26] Thank you so much for listening!

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Do you need more clarity before you sell your digital product? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss living off the revenues of consulting and treating your digital product as a hobby versus having the discipline and focus on knowing that consulting is a financing vehicle and something you do because you want to avoid the investor path. Listen to their opinions and insights as they tend to disagree but still share some great nuggets of information.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everybody!
• [00:49] How are they linked?
• [01:23] Yana speaks about how many digital tools she purchases for marketing projects.
• [02:30] Do you feel like a consultant when trying to show your B2B client how to use your product?
• [04:40] Tom shares that there are many breaking points in every medium to large-scale organization, and you must prepare.
• [06:10] Yana disagrees and says that you need to be ready for a very long presale consulting cycle.
• [07:54] Do you mean you have to cater to one or the other?
• [09:35] Yana shares that if she were a startup, she wouldn't look at sales tools that are focused on banks.
• [10:13] Tom discusses the digital processes that startups use, similar to large companies.
• [11:41] Yana says that if you want to play these games, have the resources to do it; otherwise, it will not work.
• [12:17] Tom says that this is where the crossroads between product and solution development and consulting come together.
• [13:00] Yana shares that she believes that consulting becomes your primary revenue source.
• [15:38] Yana speaks about why she would not be a consultant for a bank.
• [16:32] Tom says that Yana is saying don't even bother trying to change client organizations because they are too stuck in their path.
• [19:46] Tom asks Yana if she would suggest a friend of his sells her product to a company that isn't the use she had envisioned.
• [21:06] Tom shares his final thoughts on consultancy as a stepping stone to enterprise sales as opposed to I don't want to sell to corporate customers.
• [22:22] Yana concludes with lessons and learnings they saw in some recent workshops.
• [24:43] On both paths, you need to learn to adapt and pivot.
• [25:34] Thank you for listening to the show.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Selling products can be hard for introverts. Listen as Tom and Yana discuss why this is and ways to get around it. Making sales takes patience and a willingness to handle the hassles that might come your way. Yana believes that people shouldn't waste her time. Either you want what she is selling, or you don't. On the other side, Tom says that winning the prize is worth the hassle. Yana is an introvert, and Tom is obviously an extrovert, so as you can already see, they don't agree on everything in this episode of The Hole in the Whole.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everybody!
• [00:56] Yana shares that she is very good at being an introvert.
• [01:22] Why do people think B2B sales are hard?
• [01:24] Tom shares his insight into this question.
• [03:01] Yana believes that if you don't want to buy the product, then don't, but don't waste her time.
• [03:39] Tom says that the prize, if you win it, is worth the hassle.
• [04:50] Yana wants to know the strategies to make the sale happen.
• [04:59] Tom says to behave as if you have already won.
• [06:41] Yana shares the feeling she wants to have while trying to sell.
• [07:58] Tom believes that feeling high is where you want to be when making a sale.
• [08:37] Yana speaks about the product she planned to launch but was afraid that it wouldn't sell.
• [09:36] Do you need external validation to remind you that you have an excellent product?
• [10:26] Tom speaks about the duality of products of features vs. value.
• [11:25] Yana says she learned that regardless of how you feel about your product or service, you still choose what kind of medium you want to approach people.
• [13:24] Tom talks about positioning your product along the same journey that the client wants to take.
• [14:23] Yana speaks about a book by Don Miller and what she likes about it.
• [16:57] Tom says that when he is in a sales meeting, he feels like it is a teaching opportunity.
• [17:28] Tom shares some final thoughts about being an introvert.
• [17:55] Thank you for listening to the show!

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Did you need this quarantine downtime to consider your priorities and to plot a path for the future? Listen, as Tom and Yana share their twelve wishes for a post-pandemic society. They each share six wishes that range from buying a yacht to people being able to reach Yana's mind and everything in between. Yana and Tom have fun with this, and you will have fun listening to them. This episode is inspired by Steve Martin's 12 Christmas Wishes SNL performance.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everyone!
• [00:52] Tom and Yana will give their twelve wishes for a post-pandemic world in the spirit of Steve Martin's twelve days of Christmas.
• [02:13] Tom's first wish is for everyone to calm down, consider priorities, and plot a sensible future path.
• [03:48] Yana shares that her wish is for airlines and hotels to send her free vouchers for all of her missed travel.
• [05:25] Tom's second wish is to take all politicians, lobbyists, and CFO's who miss-handled public funds and string them up by their preferred sexual organ until they repent.
• [06:21] Yana's second wish is to have fiscal conservative parties to come into power in more countries and no subsidies.
• [08:57] Tom's third one is buying power with all the money he saved during shelter at home.
• [10:35] Yana's next wish has to do with consultants.
• [11:34] Tom's fourth wish would be to finally get a luxury yacht so he can sail away from people.
• [13:05] Yana's fourth wish is to have a magic pill that would make her look ten years younger and 10lbs lighter with no side effects.
• [14:39] Tom's fifth wish is titled strategic M&A, targeting your worst competitor and breaking them up into parts.
• [16:25] Yana's fifth wish is to have the power to stop time when she needs a break and have the ability to eject people from her life.
• [17:44] Tom's last one is that the Swiss financial services industry will pivot and find their way to an open digital and results-based way of reinventing private banking.
• [18:47] Yana tells her last wish is that she wants people in certain situations to read her mind.
• [20:43] Thank you for listening to the show.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Could your idea be the beginning of a new startup? Listen, as Tom and Yana discuss this controversial topic and, as usual, disagree about much of it. Yana shares that she believes you can start a business with an idea, but you must first get it validated. Tom agrees that they must validate it, but they must also put in the time and sweat to make it become a reality. They agree on a few points, but as usual, they see things from unique perspectives.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everyone!
• [00:41] Tom shares the topic of today's episode.
• [01:08] Yana asks, how do you go about validating your idea?
• [02:44] Tom believes that ideas on their own are not good enough.
• [04:18] Tom asks, is an idea enough intellectual property or enough of an asset to merit investments or clients.
• [04:56] Yana shares that it is important to test your idea and involve stakeholders as soon as possible.
• [06:19] Tom talks about how the U.S. market is more liberal and open-minded with their ideas.
• [09:35] Yana is skeptical about regulatory labs because of the way they make the selections.
• [11:05] Tom and Yana both believe that corporate labs are a waste of time and money.
• [12:35] Tom and Yana share their concluding thoughts on starting a startup with an idea.
• [14:05] Thank you for listening to the show!

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Has the pandemic caused you to think about changing jobs? Listen as Tom and Yana share that breakups happen in startups all the time, and it's how you prepare for them that can make the difference. Tom and Yana bring some excellent points and tips around breakups in any industry that you need to hear, so tune in and learn.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:25] Hello, everybody!
• [01:01] Yana shares the topic of this episode.
• [01:38] Breakups happen, how do you cope with them?
• [02:41] Yana says that in her experience, flexible terms are beneficial.
• [03:37] Tom believes that you should make distinctions depending on the services.
• [06:37] Yana shares that when a relationship ends, you need to be very clear on the terms.
• [07:50] Tom likes it when parties solve issues between each other instead of involving lawyers and courts.
• [08:44] You don't know your husband until you start to divorce them is an old Russian saying.
• [11:17] Yana discusses non-compete clauses, she says they are nonsense, won't be enforced.
• [14:36] Yana shares how she tries to handle breakups with more grace.
• [16:57] Tom asks Yana if she believes the pandemic has made people more relaxed about job loss and revamping businesses and industries.
• [18:20] Tom discusses sectors that are on the brink of closing should take this time to restart them with a new mindset.
• [20:14] If you have a unique breakup story, Tom and Yana would be glad to hear it.
• [21:06] Bye for now, and thanks for listening.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

What is the difference between just in case and just in time? Listen as Tom Yana speak about the difference between iterate or architect, how much time we need to get from an idea to a product, and what ontology means. They also share the much-awaited name of their joint project and the value it will add to the finance industry. This is a great episode that is a must-hear if you have been waiting for information about the new project.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:25] Hello, everybody!
• [00:53] In this last episode of our mini-series, we are discussing iterate or architect.
• [01:44] How much time do you need to put in to get from an idea to a worthwhile product?
• [02:26] Yana shares a time when they debated just in case versus just in time.
• [03:51] Yana's answer almost always is, it depends.
• [04:46] Tom says he is happy with her response because it implies that it depends on, and he then knows what he needs to include.
• [07:01] Improvising can improve things, but you can improvise too much. Balance is the trick.
• [09:15] Yana speaks about learning what an ontology is and how it translates into business. 
• [11:05] Yana shares her reluctance to understand why ontology was even relevant.
• [12:01] Tom discusses Yana being used to the business side and how it's hard for her to understand the process on the tech side that he handles.
• [13:00] Yana speaks about how this is like how she learned to train people that work on her team.
• [14:40] Tom says that if he ever stops being the data geek and gets into compliance, he might reconsider.
• [15:45] Tom and Yana discuss telling the listeners the name of their project, 'Ask the OI,' which stands for online intelligence.
• [17:05] Tom shares that the project is about the most significant pain points in the onboarding mess.
• [17:28] Yana says they want to address all the biggest pain points in the industry.
• [18:38] Tom believes this new project will help heal the pain points.
• [18:46] Head over to www.asktheoi.com.
• [19:16] Bye for now, talk to you soon.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn 

Have you played Cards Against Humanity? Listen as Tom, Yana, Fabio, and Pavel play their version of this game. They have changed up the questions and answers to reflect startups and their scope of expertise. It's hilarious, a little dirty, and a lot of fun. You don't want to miss this side of Tom and Yana.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends, leave comments and reviews and help us get our podcast heard. 

Today's Episode:

• [00:24] Hello, everybody!
• [00:57] Tom shares how they created their own deck of Cards Against Humanity.
• [01:23] Governments now seem to find money for everything except?
• [01:31] Yana says they find money for everything except masks, hand sanitizers, and blowjobs.
• [02:28] Fabio says they have money for everything except the fifth restructuring plan in seven years.
• [02:47] "_______" is undervalued, startups should talk more about it on their landing pages.
• [03:12] Yana says, magic mushroom meditations are undervalued.
• [03:29] Organizing secret anti-COVID parties are undervalued.
• [03:58] I'm really getting addicted to Zoom, but I wish it could help me get better at Blank.
• [04:16] Pavel replies with, I wish it could help me stockpile masks, toilet paper, and contraceptive pills.
• [04:51] Yana says, Zoom should help me get better at physically dangerous yet exciting sexual practices.  
• [06:05] Fabio says he hopes Zoom can help him with impulsive shopping.
• [06:31] The top three winners of the COVID pandemic are Netflix, Zoom, and Blank.
• [07:18] Pavel says, Improved conversion rates.
• [07:44] Tom says, Netflix, Zoom, and underage girls smiling.
• [08:06] "My friend, telling me she can't see her boyfriend on Zoom until she loses two pounds and gets a pedicure".
• [11:07] When the Chief Risk Officer discovered the fraud, she could immediately start Blank.
• [12:17] Pavel says she should immediately start stretching herself too thin.
• [12:49] Fabio thinks she should start magic mushroom meditation.
• [13:09] Yana says she should immediately start an argument with Elon Musk.
• [14:12] "______" startups have the weirdest team-building activities like a "_______".
• [15:02] Artificial intelligence startups have the weirdest team-building activities, like old hairy men with dirty socks.
• [17:00] Thank you for listening to the show.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn