On today’s episode, we’re chatting with first-time entrepreneur Christian Ries about storytelling, professional entrepreneurship, and pitching to investors. Christian can attribute much of his success to his growing storytelling abilities and customer-focused approach. Learn about his techniques and evolution as he tells us his story today, from the very first thought that sparked JonnyOnIt.

 

More about Christian:

An established entrepreneur and proven leader in the sales and technology industry, Christian Ries does what he says he’s going to do. In just under a year, he has not only founded and grown his home services business—JonnyOnIt—but has expanded it and has continued plans to increase its geographic footprint in 2019 and beyond.

JonnyOnIt is a mobile app that instantly connects homeowners (in real time) to hundreds of home service providers, like electricians and plumbers, saving both parties time and money.

Driven by original thought, interpersonal skills, and technology orientation, and with an extensive background in marketing, sales, and project management, Christian possesses a unique talent for integrated marketing and brand voice development. He devises strategic initiatives, builds efficient and cohesive teams, and inspires progress using a modern, hands-off leadership style.

• 2:00 How did Christian come up with the name JonnyOnIt? What’s his background?
• 5:00 How has the business done so far? How has putting the customer first impacted that? How does Christian see himself compared to serial entrepreneurs and how much does he need to learn?
• 7:00 Is there more to successful startups than the big three—great dea, funding, and ability to tell a story? How important is it to articulate your message well? How hard is it to work with investor audiences? Should you expect particularly difficult questions when telling your stories?
• 10:00 How did the concept of having perspective from actual realtors impact investors? Why is it so important to show investors more than just a good product? Why do you need to first understand your customer?
• 12:30 Why should you look forward in an investor pitch more than tell them what you’ve done already? How should new startup founders limit explaining their track records?
• 14:00 Should you tell the same story to investors as customers? Should you focus on everybody?
• 17:00 How has Christian’s story changed over time? How did it progress from “how” to its current, engaging form?
• 24:00 Stories that are remembered and repeated are the most powerful. What is Christian’s experience with this regarding investors, large audience speeches, and other entrepreneurial events?
• 29:30 What’s ahead for 2019? Who is involved in Christian’s team?

JonnyOnIt