Leveling Up with Eric Siu

We have spoken before about the ways in which writing and publishing a book can help you grow your business and authority. It sits alongside other tactics such as hosting a podcast, starting a blog, or creating a YouTube channel. Our guest today is a great example of the power of publishing! We are so happy to have the best-selling author of six books and CEO of Self-Publishing School, Chandler Bolt join us to talk about how you can put your thoughts and experiences into the form of a book and how this can lead to massive growth and revenue for you and your business! Chandler and his company have helped countless people publish their books and he walks us through exactly what his company does. They do not actually publish works, they help authors through the process, making it that much easier for anyone to become an author! Chandler explains why now is a better time than any for you to be writing and self-publishing that book you have been thinking about and we get into the differences between a traditional approach to publishing and the methods that Chandler espouses. For this hugely inspiring exploration of a market that anyone can exploit, listen in with us today on 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!
• [00:58] Chandler's surprising story about getting into writing and publishing.
• [02:07] How Self-Publishing School operates and makes money. 
• [03:00] Numbers from Chandler's business; income, growth and publishing stats.
• [03:44] One of Chandler's favorite success stories from his publishing work!
• [05:03] Chandler's business psychology; goal-setting, accountability and transparency.
• [06:40] The hit-rate Chandler experiences with his goals. 
• [08:01] Why now is the best time you can publish your own book!
• [09:20] Free resources and paid services from Self-Publishing School. 
• [10:21] Traditional publishing versus the self-publishing route; weighing the pros and cons.
• [12:49] Understanding the idea of a book funnel and how useful it can be. 
• [15:25] The 'silent salesman' and how a book can generate business for you in the long run.
• [16:12] Chandler's heavy work ethic — publishing 6 books in 3 years!
• [17:35] The time that is spent writing a book and getting help with the heavy lifting.
• [18:46] Writing challenges that Self-Publishing School set for their clients.
• [20:04] The rebranding of summits as challenges!
• [20:55] Chandler's approach to scaling companies and his passion for operations.
• [22:08] Three business book recommendations from Chandler!
• [23:04] The tool that has improved Chandler's business the most recently.

Resources From The Interview:

• Chandler Bolt
• Self-Publishing School
• Self-Publishing School Podcast

• Traffic Secrets

• From 6 to 7 Figures

• ClickFunnels

• Must read books: Influence, Extreme Ownership, How to Win Friends and Influence People 

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

We have a true legend of digital marketing on the show today. Rich Schefren has done a lot in the marketing space, to put it lightly! He is a pioneer of the modern marketing world and has been a mentor to many of the most famous young faces doing interesting things right now. We are so excited to speak to Rich today as he breaks down his experience in this episode that is absolutely brimming with information. Rich packs so much wisdom into each answer, and his decades of expertise become so apparent that you are definitely not going to want to miss this one! We discuss the discovery of the video sales letter, how he got a billion-dollar testimonial and what it means to be resourceful during difficult times. Rich tells us exactly why he loves his iPad so much, what he learned from the old guard of legendary marketers and how he has gone about laying staff off when it was necessary. We discuss pruning your business, building a strong team through profit-sharing, and the definitive moments from his career, so tune in 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!
• [01:54] A brief background to Rich's work and how he landed up where he is today!
• [04:58] Working with legendary direct response marketers. 
• [09:12] Rich's move into coaching and mentoring new faces in the game.
• [12:15] How writing 'The Internet Business Manifesto' changed Rich's life!
• [16:02] Resourcefulness and creating value for others; evergreen lessons from Rich.
• [18:39] Pruning parts of your business and enabling its further growth.
• [21:42] Rich's strategy for setting up profit-sharing in his company.
• [27:54] Lessons that Rich learned through layoffs and handling employees.
• [32:30] Rich's best books about direct response marketing!
• [34:42] The value Rich found in learning to speed read and his note-taking process.

Resources From The Interview:

• Strategic Profits
• Rich Schefren on Twitter

• Must read books: Breakthrough Advertising

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

Here are

give you three actionable lessons every marketer can learn from Tim Ferris! We talk about how Tim’s success can in part be attributed to his experimental nature, use of data in the content he produces, and willingness to keep learning! Tune in and hear what you can learn from Tim Ferris today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:25] Today’s topic: Three Actionable Lessons Every Marketer Can Learn From Tim Ferris.
• [00:32] Experimenting and building a brand by consistently marketing those experiments.
• [01:26] Don’t make claims! Content that uses data does better than content that doesn’t.
• [02:33] Tim is an obsessive learner; don’t stop learning no matter how successful you get.
• [03:27] That’s it for today!
• [03:29] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Tim Ferris

The 4-Hour Workweek

The 4-Hour Chef

Warren Buffet

Mark Cuban

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• What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below

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

Thinkific has risen to become the top searched course platform since their CEO Greg Smith last appeared on the show and today he joins us again to share some amazing updates. Our conversation with Greg covers the story of Thinkific’s evolution, and the company’s best practices for marketing, hiring, subscriptions, and corporate culture. We dive right in hearing Greg’s story about his college how-to blog for passing the LSAT that he morphed into an online course with the help of his software developer brother. Next up, Greg gives us a bunch of metrics about the company’s gross revenue currently, how much the average course creator would pay and earn using Thinkific, and which types of courses tend to scale. He also touches on some of the company’s strategies around getting course creators prepared to put their best foot forward and create packageable content that adds meaning to consumers for growing their own businesses. Our interview then moves onto the topic of hiring and staff, and we hear Greg's thoughts on delegation, headhunting, keeping vision aligned, and how to involve late cofounders from an ownership perspective. Thinkific stands as a great example of a company that scaled fast through a great team and business model so make sure you don't miss this one.

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] Opening comments on Greg’s company Thinkific, the top searched course platform.
• [01:16] How Greg’s LSAT college blog morphed into his first online course.
• [02:56] Metrics on Greg’s course: its price, continuing amazing monthly sales, etc.
• [03:36] How people are finding Greg’s course: YouTube and Google SEO converts.
• [04:39] The way that Thinkific makes money from a freemium option upwards.
• [05:27] Further metrics on Thinkific: 110 plus staff and 14 million ROI plus.
• [06:42] What course creators make on Thinkific: from 5000 to tens of millions of dollars.
• [08:00] Percentages of people who run courses on Thinkific that continue to scale.
• [08:42] Three milestones for a course creator that bode well for future success.
• [09:26] How the infrastructure trains course creators to make and market courses.
• [11:40] What qualifies as a valid reason to run a course.
• [12:50] Contributors to Greg’s success: a good team, paid ads, and refining focus.
• [14:14] What Thinkific is doing to manifest its corporate culture: investing in people.
• [17:43] How online course searches and Thinkific’s business focus bodes for their future.
• [21:40] What people who run cheap courses on Thinkific do to market on low budgets.
• [23:00] Greg’s biggest challenges in the last three years: knowing what to delegate.
• [23:50] Why Greg only focuses on team building and strategy now.
• [24:15] How well people that Greg hires do in tasks he thought he was good at.
• [25:10] Going beyond workplace gimmicks to build a corporate culture.
• [25:48] Whether a total hands-off leadership approach is really the best one.
• [26:50] Greg’s approach to keeping staff on track by helping them articulate the mission.
• [27:37] Employees who ended up merging into cofounder positions at Thinkific.
• [28:35] Strategies for adding cofounders and equity along the way.
• [29:30] Specifics of arrangements for how much equity to give cofounders.
• [31:27] Greg’s must read books, favorite business tool, and companies he follows.

Resources From The Interview:

• Greg Smith
• Greg Smith on Instagram
• Thinkific
• Exploding Topics
• Sam Ovens

• Who

• Glassdoor
• Tia Fomenoff

• High Output Management

• Let My People Go Surfing

• Matt Payne
• Miranda Lievers
• AngelList

• Slicing Pie

• Todd Herman
• Jim Collins
• Slack
• Excel
• Google Docs
• Audible
• Kindle
• Whispersync
• Better!
• Tobi Lutke
• Shopify

• Ready Player One

• Must read book: Turning the Flywheel, The Alter Ego Effect

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

Gary Vaynerchuck has been innovating on different marketing strategies for years. But how does all that translate to tactics you can apply to your own business?

In this bonus episode, we learn 7 things that Gary Vee does exceptionally well and if you take even one of these tactics and apply to your own business you can see incredible results!

Today we are very excited to bring you a conversation with the originator of the Ask Method, Ryan Levesque! Through his company bucket.io, Ryan provides businesses with the powerful weapon of the quiz funnel and he is here to explain exactly how this works. Ryan lays out a reminder of how powerful data is and the ways in which quizzes can provide your business with data and leads in a completely unique way. He shares the universal application of this approach and many examples of how his methods have been used to great effect. In our conversation, Ryan dives into some statistics from Bucket, what exactly they are currently offering and who it can most benefit. Ryan explains how using quizzes suits both established brands and new companies looking to build an audience from scratch and we also touch on the future of networking and events in the current pandemic and during its lasting effects. For all this, join us on the Leveling Up podcast today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [01:29] Ryan's journey in the entrepreneurial world and the niches he has explored. 
• [03:17] Statistics from Ryan's business; email subscribers and revenue generation.
• [05:38] How quizzes work in lead generation and conversion rates.
• [08:34] Getting to know your audience and positioning your offer appropriately.
• [11:42] Examples of companies that have made great use of quiz funnels. 
• [16:18] Comparing Bucket with Typeform; what sets these frameworks apart.
• [18:26] Template libraries and educational opportunities that are available through Bucket.
• [20:24] Who the tool is aimed at; new or established companies?
• [22:24] Platform integration, site speed and lead generation through Bucket.
• [25:06] Contextualizing this conversation in the current pandemic.
• [30:56] Ryan's nimble strategy for virtual versus in-person offers and formats.
• [35:01] The usefulness of Ecamm Live and how Ryan has implemented it in his work!
• [36:23] Ryan's must-read book recommendation: RocketFuel.
• [37:39] An exciting announcement from Ryan about his live quiz-funnel workshop!

Resources From The Interview:

• Ryan Levesque
• ASK Method
• Bucket
• Ryan Levesque on Facebook

• Choose

• Ask

• The Wall Street Journal
• Forbes
• Entrepreneur
• USA TODAY
• Fox News

• Must read book: RocketFuel

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

It is often said that niching down and making your offer specific to a particular need and section of the market is the key to success. Rick Carlson, our guest today believes that this idea is still under-appreciated. Rick is the CEO of SharpSpring, an all-in-one marketing automation platform that has experienced great success in its young life. We hear from Rick about his career in the marketing sphere, what he has chosen to give his attention to and the events leading up to the founding of SharpSpring. We chat about the company's base in Florida and why Rick decided to keep the company in his home state instead of one of the other startup hubs in the US. From there, Rick takes us through how SharpSpring approaches customer acquisition and their own marketing before we talk about finding the right type of customers and how he does this. The conversation ends off with the customary questions, with Rick opting to share his favorite business podcast instead of a book! For all this and a whole lot more from someone who is making great waves in the marketing world, and doing things slightly differently, join us on Leveling Up today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:42] Rick's background in sales, marketing and products, and his experiences in the field.
• [02:18] The strange story of how SharpSpring became a publicly-traded company. 
• [04:14] Rick's life in Florida; why he chose to base his company in his hometown.
• [06:22] SharpSpring's current client base and how they shape up next to their peers.
• [07:30] SharpSpring's target market and the interesting tactics they use for capturing.
• [09:01] Rick's tips for getting out there, finding market-fit and working with agencies. 
• [10:29] The effort that goes into connecting with the right companies and partners.
• [12:44] Focussing on a specific niche — the reasons for SharpSpring's success. 
• [14:37] Rick's favorite business podcast, article and tool!
• [15:55] Why Rick chooses to focus on his own work over following other companies and founders. 

Resources From The Interview:

• Rick Carlson

• Must listen podcast: Manager Tools

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

In a world that seems almost fully-focussed on online and digital marketing, it may come as a surprise to some that physical means are still used to grow companies and for them to become known. PostcardMania is a very successful company in this line of work, using direct mail marketing to help their clients get the word out on their offers. They are a really great example of how older techniques and styles of marketing can still work in a contemporary context. The company was founded 21 years ago by Joy Gendusa, who we are so happy to welcome to the show today. They mostly serve small businesses and are up to about 60 million in revenue this year! Their pricing model is competitive but not comparatively cheap, and Joy explains how she pegs this. We talk about the history of the company and the organic growth that Joy has experienced over the last decades. She opens up about her target audience and the ways that have provided her with the biggest opportunities to scale and grow her team. Joy credits a lot of her success to her team, believing she leads a group of superheroes! We discuss their company culture, important practices and some of the perks and facilities at the office. So for all of this great stuff and to learn about a slightly different model for marketing, be sure to listen in!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [01:05] Joy's journey with PostcardMania and her learning curve with marketing.
• [03:11] The client-base for the company and the services they offer to them. 
• [04:52] Some of the important numbers from PostcardMania and how much mail they send.
• [06:36] The fee-structure at PostcardMania and the ways in which they make money.
• [07:46] The areas in which the company experiences the most growth and best results.
• [09:39] Struggles over the years; leading the ship through rough waters.
• [12:28] Joy's thoughts on CEOs’ groups, a bad experience she had and her love for her team.
• [14:48] Growing and evolving with the company; Joy's philosophy towards progress. 
• [51:52] PostcardMania's company culture and the unique perks that Joy offers her employees.
• [16:42] Monday meetings and the agenda for these weekly events at the company. 
• [18:06] Entrepreneurship and marriage; the benefits of a personal partnership with overlap.
• [19:40] Joy's growth practices; books, conversations, and pivoting.
• [20:42] A selection of a favorite business book and tool of Joy’s.
• [21:23] Why Joy is not really following any particular companies or founders currently.

Resources From The Interview:

• Joy Gendusa

• PostcardMania 

• Everywhere Small Business

• Inc. Magazine 

• Basecamp

• Postcard Marketing In An Online World: Success Simplified!

• Must read book: Measure What Matters

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

Before thinking of building a Amazon or Apple, you have to think of your business as a 'launchpad' first. That's because even if you have a rocket, you can't go to space without a launchpad. We'll talk about the concept and how to do it.

When it comes down to it, SaaS businesses are valued on their ARR, but surprisingly, some still choose to manage the metrics and analytics that come as a byproduct of their order to cash process themselves. What they need is a platform, because having a single source of truth that drives all these metrics can’t be understated. Today’s guest is Tim McCormick, CEO of SaaSOptics, a platform that provides this very service. Specifically, SaaSOptics is a subscription management platform that provides early-stage and growth SaaS businesses with subscription billing, revenue recognition, financial reporting, and robust SaaS analytics. In our conversation with Tim today, we get into his career in tech running SaaS businesses in the security and energy management space, and the multiple exits he has orchestrated. He then dives into what SaaSOptics does and how they run their business to keep seeing such big growth. He gets into how SaasOptics automates the order to cash process, effectively sitting between the CRM and the general ledger. Tim talks about the metrics SaasOptics provides, their value-based pricing model, and how they balance marketing and sales in order to grow. We hear about the structure of their sales team, and their model of product cycles based on market changes too. There are around 30 000 B2B SaaS businesses globally thus the services SaaSOptics provides can’t come at a better time, so tune in to find out what it's all about!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:47] Tim’s career in marketing and exits in SaaS tech to founding SaaSOptics.
• [02:41] Why Tim keeps on exiting out: loving operating and helping the younger generation.
• [03:41] Vulnerability scanning and how it bridged Tim’s work in security and energy managing.
• [05:40] What SaaSOptics do to automate revenue recognition for smaller SaaS businesses.
• [08:00] Metrics SaaSOptics provides to help their clients get financing.
• [09:45] How SaaSOptics makes money by billing proportionately to clients’ revenue.
• [12:16] Ways SaaSOptics is growing: a blend of marketing/sales, and an account-based model. 
• [13:35] The structure of the SaaSOptics sales team and their service cycles.
• [14:35] Which revenue point customers start using SaaSOptics at: immediately if they’re smart! 
• [17:05] The relationship between product innovations and watching the market.
• [19:07] How Tim conducts his market research by assessing potential clients’ systems.
• [22:16] Tim’s favorite books: The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door, etc.
• [22:44] A favorite business tool of Tim’s: FullStory.
• [23:59] Companies Tim is following: Tesla, Pendo, and Salesloft.

Resources From The Interview:

• Tim McCormick
• SaasOptics
• Traction Conference
• Internet Security Systems
• IBM
• Tom Noonan
• Cisco
• David Ryan
• Netsuite
• Quickbooks
• Salesforce

• The Mom Test

• FullStory
• Tesla
• Pendo
• Kyle Porter
• SalesLoft

• Must read book:  The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door

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