Leveling Up with Eric Siu

If you’re looking for a new career, this episode is for you! From TikTok to Snapscan, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Podcasts, there have been a lot of developments in social media recently, and these platforms have evolved to the point where there is a need to develop new roles. Today on Leveling Up, Eric gives a breakdown of four new social media careers for 2021 and beyond; roles that even Eric is currently trying to fill in his own business. To find out what opportunities exist for you, or what new roles you may need to establish in your company, tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:22] Eric introduces the topic by mentioning some of the recent developments across different social media platforms. 
• [00:45] The first new role: native writers who are really good at creating content for one specific platform.
• [01:36] Short form video creator: for platforms like TikTok, Snapchat Highlights, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. 
• [02:20] Content refresher: Updating content that is performing well to improve SEO.
• [03:03] Thumbnail creator: YouTube Thumbnails are as important as headlines. 
• [03:59] The importance of having people dedicated to specific channels.
• [04:15] How to go about getting one of these jobs.
• [04:51] Don’t forget to hit the subscribe and bell buttons.

Resources From The Interview:

• MrBeast

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

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Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Leveling Up

• Eric Siu on Twitter

• Eric Siu on Instagram

A recent report from the Internet Advertising Bureau indicates that US podcast revenues are skyrocketing and are projected to be at over $2 billion by 2023. Today on Leveling Up, Eric breaks down the most important points of this report. Tuning in you’ll hear how the figures in this report relate to Eric’s experiences in podcasting. Find out how brand advertising is approaching parity with direct response and what this means, which content genres are most popular among podcast advertisers, why D2C brands maintain the top advertiser category, and why bigger brands are now buying in. With the growth of the podcast industry and the low competition rates, discover what opportunities you may be missing in the podcast industry today. 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:26] An introduction to the recent report by the Internet Advertising Bureau on the growth of podcast advertising revenue.
• [01:01] The types of sponsorships Eric gets for his Marketing School podcast.
• [01:46] Why mid-rolls are more premium than pre-rolls and post-rolls.
• [02:17] The most important shift: brand advertising is approaching parity with direct response.
• [03:07] News as the top content genre for podcast advertisers. 
• [03:32] Other points from the article relating to D2C brands as the top advertiser category and bigger brands buying in.
• [03:51] Eric’s thoughts on the opportunities that exist in podcasting.
• [04:29] Don’t forget to hit the subscribe and bell buttons.

Resources From The Interview:

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

Today Eric discusses if personality tests are actually helpful from a business perspective. Tuning in you’ll hear about his three favorite personality tests, how they work, and how they differ. Eric gives a breakdown of what these different tests have said about him and compares his personality test results to those of a team member, Noah. Eric explains how these tests can be used to help team members understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses to work well together, as well as identify gaps that can be filled in with other personalities. Find out whether or not personality tests may be useful for your business and how to choose the one that’s right for you.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Eric explains how personality tests are used in business.
• [00:55] The personality tests that Eric finds useful starting with Ray Dalio’s PrinciplesYou test. 
• [01:55] Eric uses the PrinciplesYou test to compare his personality to a team member’s personality.
• [04:04] How the test can be used to identify gaps and find team members with the right personalities to fill them. 
• [06:04] Another test that Eric recommends: The Predictive Index. 
• [06:16] How The Predictive Index shows you your key strengths and blind spots.
• [07:41] The StrengthsFinder test and how it compares to the other personality tests.
• [08:03] What StrengthsFinder says about Eric and Noah’s personalities. 
• [09:37] Closing thoughts on why Eric thinks personality tests do actually work and the importance of choosing the right one.
• [09:56] Let Eric know in the comments if he missed any great personality tests, subscribe, and hit the bell button. 

Resources From The Interview:

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

How do you start a successful business in the heavily crowded world of CRM? Today on Leveling Up, we talk to Andy Fowler, Cofounder and CEO of Nutshell, a user-friendly sales automation CRM that helps sales reps win more deals with fast onboarding, powerful reporting, and 100 percent free support. He shares some insight into how the business was established, how they developed a reputable sales process for sales automation, and why they made their developers and engineers answer customer calls when they first started out. Tuning in, you’ll learn why Nutshell is different from other CRMs and how, by listening to their customers, refining their product, and providing great service, they have grown into a successful company. Hear why they still make their product team members work with their support team and how they are managing to bring in more customers through helpful content than paid advertising. Tune in to discover how Nutshell has grown to the point that they are bringing in more than five million dollars in ARR, and the future plans for the company, including the launch of Nutshell Marketing!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:16] Introduction to Andy Fowler, Cofounder and CEO of Nutshell.
• [00:57] How Andy met his Nutshell co-founders in high school.
• [01:43] How Nutshell started out of the need for a CRM product for a friend’s business. 
• [03:41] Find out how Nutshell is different from the other CRMs out there: being easy to use.
• [04:29] Why their reputable sales process for sales automation sets them apart.
• [07:14] Nutshell’s new product: Nutshell Marketing.
• [07:52] Nutshell’s number of customers, number of employees, and current ARR.
• [09:29] How Nutshell competes in the crowded space of CRM through listening to customers, refinement, and great service.  
• [10:39] Some frameworks for customer development: why they make members of the product team get involved with the support team to hear directly from customers.
• [12:16] Nutshell’s marketing strategy: how they are bringing in more customers through helpful content than paid advertising. 
• [15:05] Why they chose a free-trial offering over freemium.
• [16:50] How they raised five million dollars and the long-term vision for the company.
• [18:43] Where the company was at year three when most companies start making a profit.
• [20:21] How Andy is getting better as a CEO by delegating the stuff he can do well.
• [20:52] Andy’s favorite business book, The War of Art, and business tool, Google Sheets. 
• [22:52] Who can benefit from Nutshell: a sales team that takes many months to close a deal.

Resources From The Interview:

• Andy Fowler on Twitter

• Must read book: Leveling Up

• The War of Art

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

Today we are going to talk about the Peter Principle and how to avoid it.

Today we are going to talk about the book 7 Powers and how I'm using it for my businesses. 

Today we are going to talk why companies should allow side hustles

Today we are going to talk how to hire A-players consistently with this simple hack.

Today’s guest is Mike Adams, Cofounder and CEO of Grain, a SaaS platform that records, transcribes, and shares highlights from Zoom video calls. Mike shares his history in the tech field, how he came to identify the need for a system like Grain, and how he founded it. He also mentions the many uses and benefits of the platform and its integrations with other platforms. As the founder of MissionU, which was shut down shortly after being acquired by WeWork, Mike talks through that process, the acquisition, and some of the valuable lessons he learned from its success and demise. Tuning in today, you’ll hear the pros and cons of income share agreements as vehicles to provide access to education and training instead of loans, and the importance of transparency. To find out more about Grain, how it makes money, and other insights from Mike as a successful three-time founder, make sure not to miss this episode!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:14] An introduction to three-time founder, Mike Adams. 
• [00:57] His history in tech and how he founded Grain.
• [02:14] What inspired Mike to come up with the concept for Grain.
• [04:02] Examples of use-cases of Grain, from interview settings and meetings between consultants and clients to general team knowledge. 
• [06:27] How Grain is different from similar products like Gong.
• [08:16] The benefits of using Grain with embeddable partners like Slack.
• [10:13] Other integrations, like Zapier, Dropbox Paper, Notion, Coda, and Miro, and the benefits of using embeddable media from Grain through them.
• [12:00] How Grain makes money through subscriptions. 
• [12:59] Why Mike exited MissionU: not every VC-backed business is appropriately VC-backed.
• [15:30] Why he didn’t actually make any money on the acquisition and why it was shut down shortly after.  
• [17:14] What he learned from the experience.
• [17:46] The pros and cons of income share agreements as vehicles to provide access to education and training instead of loans.
• [20:04] Mike’s history in education and training. 
• [21:22] Mike’s views on loans, financiers, and income share agreements in education and the importance of transparency.
• [26:20] Mike’s cheat code for healthy living: training for triathlons.
• [28:54] His favorite business tool and book.

Resources From The Interview:

• Grain

• Must read book: Inspired

• The Mom Test

• Mike Adams Email — [email protected]

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

• Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we are going to talk about NFT and answer the question Are NFTs Dying?