Leveling Up with Eric Siu

The Rise of Subscription Memberships – OnlyFans, Substack, Patreon, and More

If you are a content creator of any kind, you can make an amazing living through your audience, and there are platforms out there that will help you build one. In this episode, we cover some of the main platforms that allow creators to reach their audiences and some metrics that will show you what percentage of your audience you can expect to convert into dollars. 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!
• [00:40] The different services and users of OnlyFans, Substack, and Patreon.
• [01:18] Examples of other platforms using a subscription model.
• [01:34] Percentages of listeners that convert to memberships.
• [02:14] What to offer in a membership and how much money can be made.
• [04:10] Other ways to leverage an audience you have built.
• [04:24] Going solo after leveraging platforms you have to give a cut to.

Resources From The Interview:

• OnlyFans
• Substack
• Patreon
• TechCrunch
• The Verge
• Memberful
• MemberPress
• Supercast
• Farnam Street
• Sam Harris

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

Your Business Will Fail If You Don’t Choose This Correctly  

Today we are going to talk about why your business model matters a lot. Different business  models exist and some require a lot more resources compared to the revenue they generate  than others. Tune in today and learn about which business models offer exponential growth, and  how to switch to a better model once you see a ceiling in the last.  

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] Examples of different business models; retainers, time for dollars, and more.  [01:02] Eric’s plan for how to change Single Grain’s model after he took over. [01:44] Business models that help you make money in your sleep. 
• [02:31] Why the agency model using a retainer is a bad idea. 
• [03:05] Scaling up into ever more exponential sources of cash. 
• [04:18] The importance of having a lucrative business model.  

Resources From The Interview:  

• Naval Ravikant
• Andrew Wilkinson

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 

Sports are well-known for their strong support and sense of community, so leveraging this power virtually makes sense. Today's guest, Nigel Eccles, is the co-founder and CEO of Flick, a live group chat platform for sports influencers and their fans. Previously, he founded FanDuel and has worked in sports and the sports betting space for over 20 years. In this episode, Nigel reflects on his journey as a founder and what it was like building FanDuel. He gives us insights into fundraising, how they managed to do a pivot from their previous platform, Hubdub, and got funders to stay. We then move onto Flick, learning more about how it works and why there was an impetus to start it. A key piece of success in the space are communities and how sticky they are. Nigel sheds light on some of the difficulties that come with online communities and the importance of creating spaces where people want to hang out. Having founded several companies now, Nigel shares why the only advice applicable to every single startup is to deeply understand the customer and their needs. We wrap the conversation up with hearing about managing growth, why Peloton has been the best tool Nigel has added to his life in the last year, and where you can go if you want to learn more about sports cards and betting. 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!
• [01:09] Nigel’s background and how it led him to work in sports and sports betting.
• [02:00] Hear about some of the hurdles that came with starting FanDuel.
• [03:40] Dealing with the stress of being a founder; how Nigel has navigated his way through.
• [05:48] Why Nigel feels it is increasingly hard to build solid small businesses.
• [06:45] What FanDuel was like when they were at Series A funding.
• [07:45] How Nigel convinced funders that it was necessary to make a pivot, leading to FanDuel.
• [09:12] The value of spending time with other entrepreneurs and the lessons you will learn.
• [10:15] Hear about Flick, its business model, and how they make money.
• [11:25] Flick’s numbers, including users, and how the company measures performance.
• [12:25] Insights into online communities; challenges, influencing experience, and retention.
• [15:30] There is no silver bullet for what it takes to make a startup successful.
• [15:37] The only universal piece of startup advice: Be obsessed with your customer!
• [16:53] Flick’s customer development framework and the blended approach they take.
• [18:50] How fundraising for Flick differed from FanDuel.
• [20:21] What drew Nigel to start StarStock, a marketplace for sports cards buyers and sellers.
• [22:07] Why Nigel doesn’t have a grand vision and just focuses on working with people he likes.
• [23:10] Hear why Nigel decided to leave FanDuel and the move to sell the company.
• [24:15] The staff challenges that come with hypergrowth; what Nigel has learned along the way.
• [27:23] Resources if you want to learn more about sports cards and sports betting.
• [29:19] How Peloton has exceeded Nigel’s already high expectations.
• [29:58] Hear some of Nigel’s must read business books.

Resources From The Interview:

• Nigel Eccles on LinkedIn
• Nigel Eccles on Twitter
• Flick
• FanDuel
• Tony Hsieh
• Crunchbase
• Ev Williams
• Lesley Eccles on Twitter
• Relish
• Andreessen Horowitz
• LeBron James
• StarStock
• Ooni
• Flutter Entertainment
• Y Combinator
• Seedcamp
• ‎Heros For Sale Podcast
• ‎Stacking Slabs
• ‎House of Jordans
• Discord
• Peloton
• The Queen's Gambit

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

YouTubers like MrBeast and Airrack enjoy colossal follower and view counts, but there are key steps they follow as to how they produce and advertise their content. In this episode, you will learn about the value of the ideation side of content creation, the key role of good titles and thumbnails, and a whole lot more!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!

[00:40] Some big YouTubers and the techniques they use to attract followers.

[01:21] For MrBeast, the most important thing is daily ideation.

[02:45] Airrack says that the title and the thumbnail are more important than the video.

[03:25] The types of metrics that large YouTubers look for.

Resources From The Interview:

• MrBeast
• Airrack
• Dan Bilzerian
• Ogilvy

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

If you build an audience and continue to stay consistent with the value you provide them and the way you leverage it, the results will begin to snowball over time. Tune in to this episode and hear about the rise of paid newsletters, as well as how to build and provide value to your audience. You’ll also learn some ways to leverage your audience and some figures about how much you can expect to make per year!

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] The rise of Substack which allows people to make money from paid newsletters.
• [00:25] Four forms of leverage, and the value that your audience has.
• [01:50] Building an audience and how to leverage it once you have one.
• [02:41] How the Leveling Up and Marketing School communities works and how they make money.
• [03:25] The snowballing effects of providing consistent value to a community.
• [04:09] Different platforms for leveraging an audience beyond newsletters.

Resources From The Interview:

• Hunter Walk
• Naval Ravikant
• Charli D’Amelio

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

The route to a successful and growing online business is hard to imagine without the assistance that is provided by peer groups or masterminds. In this episode, Eric unpacks just how helpful these can be, and have been for him, explaining how you can join up with existent networks or even start your own. There is a wide range of options for any size or level of business, so do not sleep on this great resource!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:33] What is a peer group and what are the different forms they take?
• [01:04] Events, activities and networking — characteristics of different groups.
• [01:50] What to do when starting out and getting going in a mastermind.
• [02:41] Prerequisites for joining groups and the different options available. 
• [03:19] Having fun and relaxing while sharing and networking.

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• YPO

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

Eric had made a plan to move to Puerto Rico during November of this year and today on the Leveling Up Daily show, he explains why he backed out of this plan and decided to stay in LA. With the island lifestyle, great food, community, and attractive tax laws, there were a number of reasons that Puerto Rico started to look very attractive, but with a bout of sickness and in the context of the year we have all had in 2020, Eric found that when it came down it, it did not make so much sense. Tune to hear it all!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:24] The plan that Eric had to move to Puerto Rico at the beginning of November 2020.
• [01:01] The situation regarding taxation in Puerto Rico right now.
• [01:29] Safety and lifestyle on the island — attractions to living there.
• [01:51] The factors that made Eric rethink the decision and ultimately back out. 
• [03:00] Hurricanes and a lack of infrastructure in Puerto Rico.
• [03:56] Recommendations for keeping options open for destinations like Puerto Rico.
• [04:29] Further resources to check out while exploring your options. 

Resources From The Interview:

• Leveling Up

• Ramit Sethi
• Money Dials
• Sovereign Man

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

The routes to getting funding for a company are not as limited as they once were. The road has widened and it is now more possible than ever to get financing from smaller investors. For this episode, Eric shares his story about crowdfunding and the platforms that suited the company's needs. The importance of your audience and network are also explored, so make sure to join us for this important discussion!

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 funding and acquisition landscape looks like right now.
• [02:09] The work that had to go into crowdfunding and the platform that was used. 
• [02:35] Promotion across platforms and audience — making use of your resources.
• [03:14] Things have changed; you can find money and get funded from anywhere! 
• [03:48] It is worth considering all the options for financing to find the right one. 

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

• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we're going to discuss the big fight scheduled for February 2020 between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul.

In today's episode of Leveling Up Daily, we talk about the marketing process of the Leveling Up book, and how we have been getting email addresses for 15 cents a pop! Utilizing the powerful targeting offered by Facebook and using giveaways and competitions to entice users has proven great for collecting contact information. Plus, the opportunity for the development of this strategy into a fully-fledged book funnel make this path an almost sure winner! Tune in to hear all about it and stay tuned to find out how it all turns out in the coming months!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:24] Combining Facebook ads and King Sumo giveaways!
• [01:01] The contest we have been running across different platforms and channels.
• [02:08] The logic around email information and conversion.
• [03:03] Possible evolutions of this sales funnel and what the future months will look like. 
• [04:02] How the premise of the book ties in with the strategies discussed here!
• [04:56] Thinking about the future and the best marketing for younger generations.

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

• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere

• Single Grain

• Eric Siu on Twitter