Leveling Up with Eric Siu

Today's guest is entertainer, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, television personality, author, and philanthropist Spectacular Smith! Spec is the Chairman and CEO of Adwizar and founder of the record label Mula Music Group, but the list of his accomplishments does not stop there. When Spec was still a youth, he experienced early fame and fortune along with his brothers as part of the rap group Pretty Ricky. On today's show our guest starts by telling the story of how, under poor management from his father, the family lost all the money they had made from performing. At that point, Spec was learning about growing and monetizing audiences on social media and he talks about how he made his first million in a year in this way after getting kicked out of his house. This was when Spec started offering traffic acquisition and monetization services for celebrities through Adwizar and we spend the next parts of our conversation hearing about how Spec built further businesses from this point on, including Power Circle and Spectacular Academy. We talk about the skill Spec has for growing audiences on social and his current strategies for doing this on the new platform Clubhouse. Our conversation is also permeated by Spec communicating the driving force behind all of his projects, which is to increase wealth and prosperity in the Black community. Be sure to tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Introducing today’s guest, Suresh Shankar.
• [01:01] Spectacular’s journey from music and fame to starting Adwizar and his current projects.
• [06:50] What it was like going broke while famous and then pivoting to an online business.
• [08:59] How long it took for Spectacular to make his first $1M after getting kicked out.
• [10:23] The main businesses Spectacular is focusing on and what they do.
• [12:55] Metrics for the employer count at Spectacular’s different businesses.
• [14:08] Whether Spectacular will start to separate his teams as his businesses grow.
• [14:59] How Spectacular has bootstrapped until now but will start to take investor capital.
• [15:37] The time per day Spectacular is spending on Clubhouse and his views on the platform.
• [15:59] Spectacular’s skill on Clubhouse, how it is fueling his funnel, and his views on early adoption.
• [21:42] The value of having a large following early on Clubhouse for exponential growth.
• [22:26] A breakdown of how Clubhouse works.
• [25:10] The platforms that people who want to grow their followings should use today.
• [27:44] The feelings Spectacular has about his name.
• [29:55] Different resources Spectacular and his spouse have consulted to help them work together better.
• [34:21] The ‘mega’ thing Spectacular wants to do before he dies.
• [35:09] Spectacular’s favorite business tool which helps him build relationships.
• [37:48] A favorite business book Spectacular reads and recommends.
• [38:40] How to find Spectacular online.

Resources From The Interview:

• Spectacular Smith on LinkedIn
• Spectacular Smith on Instagram
• Spectacular Smith on Twitter
• Spectacular Smith Phone Number – 786 661 1224

• Spectacular Smith on Clubhouse

• Spectacular Smith on Snapchat

• Adwizar
• Power Circle
• EO
• Spectacular Academy

• Social Seed

• Mula Music Group
• Clubhouse
• Pretty Ricky on Instagram
• Jeff Hoffman on LinkedIn
• Adrian Morrison
• Kevin Davison LinkedIn
• Grant Cardone
• Tyrese Gibson on Instagram
• Tiffany Haddish on Twitter

• Traction

• What The Heck Is EOS?

• Rocketfuel

• mybankcode.com

• Must read book: Think and Grow Rich

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

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

How To Sell $1M Enterprise Software Contracts The Right Way with Crayon Data CEO Suresh Shankar

Today we sit with Suresh Shankar, Founder and CEO of Crayon Data. We ask Suresh about Crayon, hear his journey, and find out how to build unshakable enterprises. The show kicks off with Suresh telling us more details about Crayon, and the services they provide. Suresh explains that data is everywhere in our lives, and many big businesses have access to it, but they have trouble understanding how to best serve their customers and target more of them. That’s where Crayon Data comes in. Digging deeper, we ask Suresh to tell us about how his company charges, with the enterprise mogul sharing the three important ways it achieves revenue. On the topic of Crayon, Suresh fills us in on his company’s growth and tells us why their client’s customer number is the best metric for his Crayon’s size. In the latter half of the show, Suresh walks us through his career in sales and explains why he refers to it as “backward progression.” As we near the end of the episode, Suresh speaks in detail about how to sell $1 million enterprise software contracts the right way. He touches on timelines and some key ingredients like value creation, vision and mission, and finding your north star. To find out how you can level up, be sure to join us today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Introducing today’s guest, Suresh Shankar.
• [01:01] Suresh tells us more about himself and how his company works.
• [01:16] Hear about Crayon Data’s mission for the data world.
• [02:12] Practical examples of a Crayon Data customer and their experience.
• [03:39] How Crayon Data makes money.
• [05:00] Find out about Crayon Data’s success and growth. 
• [07:14] What Crayon is doing on the digital side of acquisition. 
• [10:49] Suresh’s thoughts on content.
• [11:11] Hear about Suresh’s career in sales. 
• [13:36] Suresh tells us about the analytics company, Red Pill.
• [15:47] The key to locking in a $1 million enterprise. 
• [20:08] A timeline of events when locking in an enterprise.
• [21:04] Hear about the long term effort it takes to create an enterprise. 
• [22:00] What a significant business looks like to Suresh.
• [24:55] One business tool that Suresh has added in the last year that he loves.
• [25:59] Suresh’s favorite business books. 
• [27:24] The best way for you to get in touch with Suresh.

Resources From The Interview:

• Suresh Shankar on LinkedIn
• Slaves to the Algo
• Crayon Data
• Red Pill Analytics

• Saas

• Netflix

• Spotify

• Freshworks

• IBM

• Microsoft Teams

• Hard Thing About Hard Things on Amazon

• Shackleton’s Journey on Amazon

• The Curse of Bigness on Amazon

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

How YOU Can Think Like A Contrarian & Acquire Businesses To Create A Life of Freedom with Codie Sanchez

No matter who you are, by exercising a little contrarian thinking, you can find, analyze, buy, and build profitable businesses, becoming the master of your own destiny. Codie Sanchez is a master of applying out-of-the-box thinking to investing and today she joins us on the show to share some of this knowledge as well as help us learn about the different projects she has going on. Codie is the Managing Partner and Director of Entourage Effect Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. She also runs Contrarian Thinking, the weekly newsletter that discusses how to push back on investing trends, and to top it off, Codie designs business acquisition courses to be found at Unconventional Acquisitions. Codie begins  by discussing some best practices for people looking to start their own fund. From there, she gets into the mission statement at Contrarian Thinking as well as its premium offering, Contrarian Cash Flow, and how these fit into her marketing flywheel as a fund manager in 2021. Wrapping up, we talk about the buy and build model taught at Unconventional Acquisitions and hear some tips from Codie on how to find and incentivize good operators for a business you recently bought. Tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:50] A window into Codie’s career; the story behind Entourage Effect and Contrarian Thinking.
• [02:24] Metrics for the state of affairs at Entourage Effect and what they have invested in.
• [03:10] Advice from Codie for starting a fund and working with investors.
• [04:44] Managing ‘risk of dilution’ by making sure to do ‘capital reserve for follow ons’.
• [06:16] A recommendation from Codie to work with good attorneys when starting a fund.
• [07:29] How to make money with a fund; the ‘2/20’ model and other models.
• [08:34] Tips for raising money for a micro fund.
• [10:10] Dangers of making a raise public; private placement laws and SEC laws.
• [11:11] The benefits of starting Contrarian Thinking for attracting the right companies.
• [13:34] Building in public and what it means to be a contrarian thinker. 
• [17:06] The different services offered by Contrarian Thinking and Contrarian Cashflow.
• [19:05] What Codie’s course, Unconventional Acquisitions, teaches and its role in her flywheel.
• [20:51] Where people should go to find the deals Unconventional Acquisitions argues for.
• [23:35] How to go about finding good operators to use in the buy and build model.
• [26:20] Codie’s method of structuring incentives to keep operators motivated.
• [27:40] Why Codie prefers a model of buying businesses to hold rather than flip.
• [28:42] The approach Codie uses regarding how involved she is in the businesses she buys.
• [30:24] Different offerings to be found at unconventionalacquisitions.com.
• [32:24] How to get in touch with Codie online and read what she writes.

Resources From The Interview:

• Codie Sanchez on LinkedIn
• Codie Sanchez on Instagram
• Codie Sanchez on Twitter
• Entourage Effect Capital
• Contrarian Thinking

• Contrarian Cashflow

• Unconventional Acquisitions
• Cann
• Anthony Pompliano on Twitter
• Lisa Song Sutton
• Andrew Wilkinson on LinkedIn

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

A big part of contemporary online business is connected to email marketing and one of the most powerful and exciting names in the game right now is undoubtedly ConvertKit. The company's Co-Founder and CEO, Nathan Barry, returns to the Leveling Up podcast today to talk about their last year or so of business, their choice to embrace profit-sharing, and his thoughts on the evolving remote-work landscape! Although ConvertKit can basically be described as email marketing software for creators, they actually offer so much more than that, and Nathan comments on their growth and how they go about adding new features to their service. One of the defining characteristics of the company is their lack of outside funding, and we get to talk about this choice and how they have managed to be so successful while opting out of venture capital. Nathan shares his thoughts on the time it takes to build something meaningful, the meaning of company culture, building in public and so much more! A big takeaway for listeners is the idea of intentionality and holding both the long-term vision and short-term goals in mind at the same time. So for all this from a leader of a leading company, be sure to listen in! 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [01:12] Nathan's perspective on what is hot right now for email conversion.
• [03:38] The power of Twitter threads when used correctly. 
• [04:55] Growth at ConvertKit and the biggest steps they have made recently.
• [06:14] Considering adding new features and how to do this smartly.
• [07:52] Prioritizing certain features and how these decisions are made.
• [10:12] Nathan's array of skills as a creator and the emphasis he puts on mindset. 
• [12:53] Thoughts on niching down and how this relates to expansion.
• [14:52] The growth in the blogging and online influencer industry. 
• [15:58] Nathan's failed efforts at raising capital and how this ended up serving the company.
• [18:13] The pros and cons of building in public — Nathan weighs in.
• [20:13] The threat of competitors and bigger companies.
• [22:45] Incentives and profit-sharing at ConvertKit — the evolution of Nathan's philosophy.
• [26:18] Keeping a long-term vision in mind for short term strategies.
• [28:55] Nathan's thoughts on recruiting talent in the current climate.
• [33:32] Important parts of ConvertKit's remote culture and the emphasis they place on trust.
• [34:58] Company retreats and the amazing practice of 'unsolicited feedback'.

Resources From The Interview:

• Nathan Barry

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're going to talk about How To Launch A Course For $1M 💰 Without Experience! (True Story)

We often speak about the power and utility of hosting a podcast, a space that keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing down! Today on the show we are joined by Travis Chappell, host of the Build Your Network Podcast, and the brains behind Guestio! Travis is an expert on leveraging a podcast to increase your network, knowledge, and ultimately your profit, and he is here to share a bit of that expertise with all of our listeners! We talk about Travis' journey to his current professional standing and our guest is generous enough to share some insightful numbers from his business and podcast, which have been growing steadily over the last few years. He also sheds some light on the new program he launched last year, called the Podcast Profit Academy, before diving into the fascinating subject of the Guestio platform. Guestio offers podcast hosts a great way to connect and book amazing guests and this project exemplifies Travis' innovative and progressive mentality. We also talk about ways to grow your audience, a few networking tips, and much more, so make sure to join us for this episode of Leveling Up!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:39] The 30,000-foot view of Travis' story and career thus far!
• [03:39] How Travis got into podcasts and connected deeply with the format. 
• [04:47] The size of the Build Your Network Podcast currently after a few years in the game.
• [05:51] Last year's launch of the Podcast Profit Academy in response to the need to go remote.
• [08:48] How Travis has benefited from hosting a podcast; network, knowledge, and profit!
• [12:40] The focus that Travis puts on helping his clients turn a podcast into profit.
• [18:28] The idea behind Guestio and the need that it services for podcast hosts. 
• [21:19] Unpacking the idea of the expert marketplace; and how you can use Guestio!
• [22:41] Methods for audience growth that Justin believes in right now.
• [24:53] Networking tips from Justin — hosting and becoming an authority.
• [26:41] Showing up and adding value at events; the best way to network in person.
• [28:13] Travis' favorite business tool at the moment: ClickUp.
• [28:49] Why Travis loves Robert Cialdini's book Influence.
• [29:12] Travis' work in the real estate world and some of the big moves he has been making lately.
• [30:12] How and where to connect with Travis online! 

Resources From The Interview:

• Travis Chappell

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

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we're going to talk about How To Become A Content Machine For 2021.

Today we are going to talk about How Jio Leveraged The Power Of Free To Go From 0 to 400 Million Users In FOUR Short Years 🚀

Today we are going to talk about How OnlyFans drive a $300M PROFIT!

Today we are going to talk about Why Marketing Funnels Are Not The Best Way To Think About Your Business.