Leveling Up with Eric Siu

Today we are going to talk about the questions you should be asking the other team!

Today we are going to talk about Simple 5-Step Mergers & Acquisitions Checklist!

Today’s guest is Garry Tan from Initialized, a company that focuses on investing in high potential software startups at the seed stage and earlier. From starting with $7 million in assets under management, his company has grown to the point where it currently has over $770 million, and they're starting to create over $100 billion in market value. He's invested in companies such as Coinbase, Opendoor, Flexport, Rippling, Patreon, Ro, and more. Even though Garry has established a name for himself as one of the world’s best venture capitalists, today on Leveling Up, he explains why he still thinks of himself as an engineer and designer first. As an investor and partner at Y Combinator, he discusses the influence of Paul Graham on his career and how he learned to be a founder. Tuning in, you’ll find out what questions Garry asks before he invests, how people who want to grow venture capital funds find him, and why angel investors should have a portfolio of at least 20 to 30 companies. Hear about how he chooses which companies to invest in, how he helps those companies level up, what the greatest achievements and failures of his career have been, and the importance of taking chances on things that are not ‘hot’!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:15] An introduction to Garry Tan and his background in investing. 
• [01:10] Why Garry sees himself as a creator first, not an investor.
• [02:45] Garry explains how he gets deal flow: Go after communities of people who are builders. 
• [04:25] The influence of Paul Graham and Y Combinator on Garry and how he learned to be a founder. 
• [07:21] What the typical breakdown is of the exits of Initialized’s standard funds.
• [09:58] How Garry chooses which companies to invest in: taking chances on things that are not ‘hot’. 
• [12:28] Garry talks about one of Initialized’s biggest wins.
• [13:25] The top questions Garry asks when deciding which companies to invest in.
• [14:22] How the company progressed from a fund of $7 million to a fund of $230 million.
• [15:47] Garry explains how people who want to grow venture capital funds find him.
• [18:33] How he looks at high valuations and why angel investors should have a portfolio of at least 20 - 30 companies. 
• [23:14] What his job as an investor looks like and how he helps the companies he’s invested in get to the next stage. 
• [25:12] How he creates content for his youtube channel.
• [27:26] Eric talks about his YouTube video creation process. 
• [28:07] How Garry gained 30,000 YouTube subscribers in November. 
• [29:06] How he structures his content and how often he posts.
• [30:00] How much time he spends on Clubhouse.
• [30:59] Insight into how his brand team works.
• [32:04] What Garry is currently reading and his favorite business book: Paul Graham: Hackers & Painters.
• [33:40] Garry’s favorite business tool: Frame and Around

Resources From The Interview:

• A Few Lessons for Investors and Managers From Warren Buffett  

• Must read book: Hackers & Painters 

• Founders at Work

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here

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Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Leveling Up

• Eric Siu on Twitter

• Eric Siu on Instagram

Today we are going to talk about 'How to Fail During an M&A Integration?'

Today we are going to talk about How to Source M&A Deals?

Today’s episode of Leveling Up is a little different as AdSkills Founder Justin Brooke and our host Eric Siu interview each other. Justin has a wealth of experience in the advertising industry, having run an agency for years. In addition to founding AdSkills, he is also known for generating millions of clicks in a day, and his crowning achievement of sourcing 17,000 leads in one day. Tuning in today, you’ll hear about AdSkills, how it is different from other marketing training companies, and how Justin uses book funnels to successfully acquire customers. Justin also provides some practical tips for anyone out there who wants to write a book and use the book funnel method. Eric talks about the concept of seeing life as a video game and discusses what he’s learned through the process of writing and publishing his book Leveling Up. Tune in to hear how he managed to generate $65,000 in book sales in a few hours and also provides a valuable growth hack tip for using Non-Fungible Tokens to grow your email list. 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Justin Brooke, Founder of AdSkills, introduces himself in 30 seconds.
• [01:18] Eric Siu introduces himself in 30 seconds.
• [02:16] Justin talks about AdSkills; how it is different from other marketing training companies and how the business model works.
• [04:23] How Justin uses book funnels to acquire customers.
• [05:17] Eric provides some background into self-liquidating offers.
• [05:40] Justin explains how he makes a profit using this method and how long it usually takes.
• [08:41] In response to coach and consultant pretenders being called out on Clubhouse, Justin explains some of his credentials and achievements that prove his authority in his field. 
• [10:57] Justin explains how someone who wants to use the book funnel method can get started.
• [12:07] Justin’s favorite marketing tools right now: Zoom, AdEspresso, Revealbot, and Flick.
• [13:47] Justin introduces Eric for his podcast audience.
• [14:51] Eric talks about the concept of seeing life as a video game and leveling up. 
• [15:40] Eric gives a growth hack tip for people building an email list: Non-Fungible Tokens as a giveaway. 
• [18:07] What Eric learned in the process of completing his book Leveling Up.
• [19:12] How Eric managed to generate $65,000 in book sales in a few hours.
• [20:37] The most impactful book Justin’s ever read: The Ultimate Sales Bible.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Leveling Up Bulk 

• The Ultimate Sales Bible 

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here

• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes

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Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Leveling Up

• Eric Siu on Twitter

• Eric Siu on Instagram

Today we are going to talk about M&A Transaction Structures: Asset Sale vs Stock Sale!

Today, Eric gives a rundown of the core questions you should be asking during the due diligence of mergers and acquisitions and the implications of each question. Tuning in, you’ll find out how to ascertain what discounts you can negotiate, what assets you could potentially exclude from the sale, what hidden risks you may be taking on, and if the company’s profitability and future potential are worth the price. This episode will help you decide whether or not you want to acquire a business and negotiate a better price.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:33] The first question you should ask during mergers and acquisitions: Why are you interested in exploring the sale?
• [00:45] Question two: What are your plans with the money?
• [01:11] Question three: Who are the A-players on the team?
• [01:30] Question four: What does your marketing and sales engine look like? 
• [02:02] Question five: What other assets do you have?
• [02:27] Question six: Who would be staying long term with the company?
• [02:39] Question seven: Who is at the cap table?
• [02:50] Question eight: What is your trailing 12 months revenue and trailing 12 months profit?
• [02:58] Question nine: What has your growth rate been over the last three years?
• [03:09] Question 10: Who are your competitors?
• [03:14] Question 11: Do you have any customers that account for more than 10 percent of revenue?
• [03:29] Question12: What is the customer life-time value?
• [03:42] Question 13: What is the churn rate of employees, customers, and revenue?
• [03:56] Question 14: How many customers do you have right now?
• [04:01] Question 15: If it’s a service business, what capacity are you at?
• [04:21] Question 16: What is your marketing stack or sales stack?
• [04:28] Question 17: If it’s a dev team, what languages are you using?
• [04:35] Question 18: What growth opportunities exist?
• [04:43] Question 19: What are your core capabilities or core focus? 
• [05:09] Let Eric know in the comments if he has missed any questions and subscribe.

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here

• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes

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Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Leveling Up

• Eric Siu on Twitter

• Eric Siu on Instagram

Today’s guest is Shawn Merritt the co-founder and CTO of Toucan, a Chrome extension that allows you to learn a new language while you browse the internet. Shaun, together with his other co-founders, found a way to level up the existing habits that people already have by creating a chrome extension that allows users the opportunity to passively learn a language without taking any time out of their day. Tune in to find out how Toucan works, and how it is different from other language-learning platforms. Shaun gives us some insight into how the company was established and how it has grown and achieved a vast amount of success in just two years. Hear about their journey thus far, how they are monetizing this product, marketing it, and how they use advertising as a deeper form of learning through their ingenious “Own The Word” concept.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Shaun explains how he and his co-founders came up with the idea for Toucan.
• [01:29] How Toucan works to teach people new languages passively without taking time out of their day.
• [01:58] How Toucan is different from other language-learning platforms.
• [02:54] How it launched, people’s reactions to it, and how they grew and monetized it.
• [04:12] A case study example of how to use Toucan. 
• [05:05] The most common languages used and requested.
• [06:08] Insight into the different difficulty settings and how it adapts as you learn. 
• [06:57] How Toucan works as a passive form of engagement to enable people to progress quickly.
• [07:42] How they make money through premium features.
• [09:00] How they use advertising as a deeper form of learning through their ‘Own the word’ concept.’
• [09:33] How partnerships with advertisers work.
• [10:09] How are they growing through word of mouth, ‘own the word’, and partnerships. 
• [11:35] The grand vision for Toucan: To find ways to teach other things passively too.
• [12:07] Shaun’s favorite business tool Obsidian, and favorite business book Thinking in Systems.
• [12:56] Bonus question: Where Shaun gets his information from.

Resources From The Interview:

• Toucan

• Must read book: Thinking in Systems

• Shaun Merritt’s email

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here

• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes

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Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Eric Siu on Twitter

While Twitter may be old, it is one of the places where some of the smartest and most successful people in the world engage with each other, and it is one of the most helpful social media platforms that exists today. In this episode, Eric gives us some tips on how to make the most of it. Tune in to hear about the power of Twitter advanced search, how to use tweet storms, other best practices, and even formatting tips, to help you level up your Twitter reach. 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:19] Why Eric believes Twitter is one of the most helpful social media platforms today.
• [00:52] The first tip: how to benefit from Twitter advanced search.
• [01:48] How you can make use of tweet storms. 
• [02:31] Why Eric would choose Twitter over blogging if he was starting today.
• [02:44] Why you should post links in the comments instead of the tweets.
• [03:16] Why you shouldn’t just retweet, you should reply.
• [03:39] How to tag someone in a tweet so that it looks like a tweet and not a reply.
• [04:01] Formatting tip: how to create bullets instead of dashes.
• [04:14] Let Eric know if he missed anything, and subscribe.

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here

• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes

• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Leveling Up

• Eric Siu on Twitter

• Eric Siu on Instagram