Leveling Up with Eric Siu

It is becoming more and more popular to build businesses and platforms in public. As Eric explains in today's episode, there is really no downside to this way of doing things and the visibility factor is a big plus. This means that while you grow and improve your business, investors can find you more easily, and you can even get the public involved. Tune in to find out more.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:25] Conversations that are happening on Twitter right now around business and numbers.
• [01:09] There is nothing to lose by building in public!  
• [01:51] Looking at the example of copy.ai and their founder Paul Yacoubian.
• [02:41] If you are growing publicly, you are more visible to investors. 
• [03:42] Eric's thoughts on maybe trying this model out himself!
• [04:20] The different kinds of projects this model can be applied to right now.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• The Bachelor

• The Bachelorette

• Paul Yacoubian
• Copy.ai
• ClickFlow
• Marketing School Pro
• Consulting School

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 Eric unpacks some very interesting statistics on what it takes to gain YouTube subscribers! Referencing data published on Twitter, Eric shows how once again, just like in business, gaining an audience and experiencing success is all about sticking with it and being patient. From Logan Paul to MrBeast, these celebrities put in the time and reaped the rewards. This could be you too, so tune in to find out more. 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:35] What the numbers show about the amount of time and content it takes to gain followers.
• [01:13] Getting subscribers takes time to grow and compound.
• [01:40] Most people play the comparison game and give up too quickly.
• [02:10] Where Eric's YouTube is currently at in terms of the statistics. 
• [03:01] Looking at podcasts and blogs — what this shows us.
• [04:02] Plans for upping the production quality of the Leveling Up YouTube content.
• [04:29] Home-runs come once in a while so stick with it.
• [04:50] The three 'H's of YouTube creation and how this can help.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• MrBeast

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

With the lightning-fast developments in AI and content generation, it is easy to get left behind the newest advances. Today, Eric talks about GPT-3 and what this means for the immediate future of high quality content generation. It does seems as though this is a big step up for at-scale content creation, and will certainly raise the bar for general standards, as well as giving the SEO world a bit of jolt. Tune in to hear all about it today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:23] What is GPT-3 and how does it work?
• [00:58] Looking at the AI content-creation landscape up until recently. 
• [02:50] Creating content at scale with GPT-3 that is indistinguishable from human writing.
• [03:51] Examples of the capabilities of GPT-3 for quality content! 
• [04:22] Generating tweets in the style of a real person. 
• [06:01] What this means for the general standards of content creation.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• OpenAI
• Crunchbase
• Sam Altman
• Y Combinator
• Naval Ravikant

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

Laziness has traditionally been something that is frowned upon, however, as we hear from Bill Gates, there are certain aspects of laziness that can serve a business really well. Lazy people often look for the easiest way to do something, so this tendency, combined with intelligence, can be a great boost for finding new and quicker methods! These types of thinkers often did not do very well at school (like Eric!) and it is only out in the real world of business and startups that they can begin to excel by tapping into their unique gifts! Listen in to hear all about it!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:26] Reframing your thoughts on laziness!
• [00:40] Finding shortcuts is a skill and using it can be a big benefit.
• [01:29] Eric's usual method for creating school papers at the last minute
• [02:00] What Eric would do now if he was forced to go to college and study history. 
• [02:30] The four classes of characteristics; clever, lazy, stupid and industrious.
• [03:24] Problems in the US school system and the issue of conformity.
• [04:39] What Eric looks out for when hiring — someone who can connect the dots.
• [05:21] Changing the connotations of laziness into something positive.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

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

Our focus today is Paul Graham's essay, 'How To Think For Yourself', in which he details some very useful ways to view different jobs and the power of independent thought within them. A foundational element of this thought piece is in the idea that certain professions require uniform thinking while others need you to think originally. By understanding this difference, we can begin to find the right place to house our particular psychological preferences. Tune in to hear all about it!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:29] A quick introduction to Paul Graham and Y Combinator.
• [01:18] Not everyone is the same — find your best way to learn.
• [01:50] Excerpts from Paul's essay, on originality and quality.
• [02:34] Zigging when others zag — stand out and offer value.
• [03:01] Questions to ask yourself; what type of work are you doing?
• [03:58] Picking the right type of work for yourself in order to excel.
• [04:40] Getting the right people in the right seat on your team.
• [05:08] Gauging your own independent-mindedness and filling in the gaps.
• [06:16] The people you surround yourself with will impact your view of yourself!
• [08:03] Dangers of the news and media and how this can detract from free thinking.
• [08:37] Learning how others think through biographical and historical media.
• [10:20] Fostering curiosity and and an open mind — this will lead to growth!

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Paul Graham
• How to Think for Yourself Essay
• Y Combinator
• Airbnb

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

Are you looking to transform your eCommerce growth? Want to increase the efficiency, profitability, and value of your company? Today’s episode is for you! We are super excited to bring Trent Dyrsmid to the podcast today. He is the Founder and CEO of Flowster, which is a software company for eCommerce entrepreneurs to improve workflow automation through the creation and use of standard operating procedures. Through the use of their software, you can optimize execution through standard operating procedures, which are the lifeblood of today’s most successful organizations. If implemented effectively, they ensure every business process is executed exactly the same way, every time. They also improve accountability through an audit trail providing you with transparency into every aspect of your employees’ work. Teamwork is dreamwork, and by using this software, companies are able to allow team members to easily assign each other tasks, give due dates, upload files, and add comments to the work they've done — keeping everyone in the loop and your business running at peak efficiency. During today’s episode we talk to Trent more about Flowster, his journey from the beginning to where he is now, he shares his favorite automation tool, and so much more, so stay tuned and enjoy!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:35] How things are going with Trent and what he is up to.
• [01:13] Trent shares more about his first business, what it was, and how that lead to where he is today. 
• [04:18] More about the process of how he started to develop his standard operating procedure.
• [05:50] Trent talks numbers on his first company.
• [07:00] Trent elaborates about Flowster, creating processes in a digital, interactive checklist.
• [08:15] Why he decided to market to e-commerce customers. 
• [09:15] What the Flowster software offers — facilitating the process of delegation and more.
• [10:15] Trent walks us through an example of how the software functions and what the “magic button” entails. 
• [11:55] How many customers they have and we talk about the different pricing of their services.
• [15:00] Trent talks about his podcast and the value it’s given to him. 
• [16:22] He shares his favorite tool: Automation Zapier and his favorite Zap.
• [16:54] His favorite book: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
• [17:27] Where to find more about Trent and his business.

Resources From The Interview:

• Trent Dyrsmid on LinkedIn
• Flowster
• Zapier
• The Bright Ideas Brand

• Must read book: The E-Myth

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 on the show we are looking at Keith Rabois' philosophy of ammunition and barrels! This is a way to look at the members of your team and who you choose to hire. Keith unpacks how these two different types of team members will serve you in certain ways — it is up to you to make the most of specific skills as well as hiring smartly. Tune in to learn more about the ammunition and barrels metaphor!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:40] Focussing on the team first and then the product that you are building.
• [01:31] The best people will give you most leverage! 
• [02:11] When you make a subpar hire, you bring down the quality of your company.
• [02:29] Hiring processes and company culture; fostering the best team possible. 
• [02:48] The two categories of high quality hires; ammunition and barrels.
• [03:52] The mindsets that will serve you and your company and lead to success.
• [04:52] Finding a way through challenges by hiring the right people!

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Square
• PayPal

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 on Leveling Up Daily, we get to look at stocks and some examples of good options to buy and hold. We hear about Eric's thoughts on a number of popular companies as well as why certain fields are worth considering. Eric explains why investing in stocks is not for a quick buck and the minimum period he is looking at is five years. Tune in to hear about Tesla, Amazon, Shopify, Teladoc and much more!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:25] How Eric's ideas around stocks have evolved over time.
• [02:31] Why Tesla is a popular choice for so many investors.
• [04:42] The message that we can take from Peloton's monthly churn rate.
• [07:31] What the dominance of Amazon teaches us about investing in Shopify. 
• [08:01] Eric's trust in Amazon and gold stocks. 
• [08:53] The positive impacts of Zoom's functionality and popularity.
• [09:14] The rise of telemedicine and why Eric believes in Teladoc.
• [09:40] Twilio, internet infrastructure, and recurring revenue.
• [10:21] Looking at Square, from the reliable founding powers of Jack Dorsey. 
• [11:36] CRISPR and the future of the gene editing field!
• [12:02] The availability of genetic information through Invitae.
• [13:29] Buy and hold strategies for crypto and specifically Bitcoin.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Warren Buffett

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

Welcome back to Leveling Up Daily! Today Eric talks about how his other podcast, Marketing School, which he co-hosts with Neil Patel, will bring in more than $5 million annually! Listeners can expect a breakdown of the revenue streams, the adjustments that have been made over the past four years, and also some reminders of the time it takes to get to this point. At the end of the day, podcasting remains a potentially lucrative use of your time, so give this episode a listen to learn more!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:25] An introduction to the Marketing School Podcast that Eric hosts with Neil Patel.
• [01:22] The revenue breakdown from Marketing School!
• [02:22] The membership program that Eric and Neil are currently rolling out.
• [03:01] The payment tiers that are currently offered for the community. 
• [04:14] It takes time to build a foundation that you can cash in on.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Marketing School Podcast
• Neil Patel

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 to REALLY Determine How Many Unique Podcast Listeners You Have

Knowing the numbers about how of your downloads are listeners can help you get a more accurate figure about how well your subscription model will do. Tune in to learn how to get better analytics and some figures around how many listeners you can expect to convert.  

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:25] Podcast analytics using Spotify, Apple, Chartable, and Slack.
• [01:24] Standards set by the IAB about what counts as a download.
• [03:11] Only around 25% of your downloads are listeners.
• [03:26] The percentage of unique listeners that convert to subscriptions.
• [04:26] The importance of knowing the numbers for attempting a subscription model.

Resources From The Interview:

• Chartable
• Slack
• IAB
• Marketing School Pro
• Supercast

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