'Process'

With over 200 startups directly launched by this team, 100s of international firms grown and scaled, 400+ products/services commercialized plus mentorship of over 5000 others; you should tune in, follow/subscribe on the In Focus Brands' YouTube Channel.

Inventory: The Silent Truth About What’s Really Running Your Business
Most founders think inventory is a spreadsheet. It’s actually a reflection of your business systems or lack of it.
Inventory exposes your discipline, your cash flow reality and your operational blind spots.
If you don’t know what you have, you don’t know what you can grow.
With over 200 startups directly launched by this team, 100s of international firms grown and scaled, 400+ products/services commercialized plus mentorship of over 5000 others; you should tune in, follow/subscribe on the In Focus Brands' YouTube Channel.

The Secret Formula

There is no secret formula.

1:45 It's hard work and takes a great team.

2:05 T reads conspiracy theories.

3:25 In my experience after 15 years, there is no secret formula.

3:47 What gets the job done is good strategy, a good team, a clear direction and flexibility.

4:11 They've done a great job of marketing the bs.

4:47 Positively negative.

5:15 There is no one size solution.

5:33 It's a journey. How committed are you?

5:59 If you learn something it is probably worth it, but it is not a solution for life.

6:40 It's all just snake oil.

7:09 Owning a business and taking an idea from start to finish is what I live for.

7:20 Being realistic is not being negative.

8:09 It's not a secret formula; it is just good business.

8:34 Unicorns, rainbows and sprinkles.

9:01 How badly do you want this?

10:05 It's all consuming.

10:42 It's the people that make it worthwhile.

12:00 If you are doing this because you want to be rich, do something else.

12:12 Why are you doing this?

13:09 There is a good chance this is not going to work out. What is your plan b?

14:00 The whole mentality of just believing in yourself is a bad plan.

14:46 If this fails, will I be okay?

15:24 What I do is linked to who I am.

15:52 If you need to be sold a secret formula, you are on the wrong path.

16:55 There is nothing wrong with not starting.

17:30 You need clearly defined milestones.

19:02 There is nothing wrong with having a lifestyle business where you are happy.

19:21 What does success look like to you.

19:56 The Secret Formula? Be true to yourself.

20:21 Indian Larry.

BUSINESS CLICHÉS & BAD ADVICE from the NO FOLLOWERS Podcast

The Business Advice That’s Killing Your Momentum is All Around

The internet, "experts', and AI are full of clichés that sound good and ruin companies. We break down the worst offenders and what real operators do instead.

3rd week of 8 on learned business truths from the In Focus Brands' Portfolio and First Strike Incubator.

The Idea Stage: Stop Dreaming. Start Proving.

Everyone has ideas. Operators have proof.

We walk through how to move from “I think” to “I know,” and why momentum only starts when assumptions die.

This episode of the NO FOLLOWERS Podcast walks through moving forward from the idea stage. With over 200 startups directly launched by this team and mentorship of over 5000 others; you should tune in, follow and subscribe.

2nd week of 8 on learned business truths from the In Focus Brands' Portfolio and First Strike Incubator.

Podcast Video: IDEA STAGE and Moving Forward

Bite-Size Business RetrospectiveWhat 35+ Years of Building Companies Really Teaches You.

A rapid‑fire breakdown of the patterns, mistakes and truths we’ve seen across hundreds of companies. Short lessons. Hard truths. Zero fluff.

Start of a new themed series from ⁠NO FOLLOWERS Podcast⁠

⁠Business Fundamentals⁠ & ⁠Business Realities⁠

8 weeks of learned business truths from the ⁠In Focus Brands⁠' Portfolio and ⁠First Strike Incubator⁠.

Everyone loves the story of the overnight success .Everyone wants instant traction. The myth gets louder the bigger you get.“ Just add more leads.” “Just hire more people.” "Use AI." “Just spend more on marketing... ” None of that is traction. That is noise disguised as progress. At scale, traction is not about doing more. It is doing less of the wrong things and more of the things that actually move revenue, retention and reputation. Traction at scale comes from: Systems that remove friction, not add layers.**Teams that are aligned, not just hired. Messaging that converts to inbound, relationships and sales. The truth: Scaling is: MATH, MESSAGE, MANAGEMENT repeated until it compounds. If you’re building for the long run, stop chasing the myth. Start studying the operators who built the reality.

This is going to be another instant traction episode.1:26 I do like Sbarro Pizza.2:07 The World's Most Valuable Luxury Brand.2:36 Louis Vuitton.3:50 He left home at 13 and arrived in Paris at age 16.4:32 I'm not a mapmaker. I'm no cartographer.5:09 Why did it take him 3 years?5:39 You are destroying the French language.6:12 Louis didn't have MapQuest on his phone.7:00 He's not making packing boxes. He's making luggage.8:04 He was learning the trade and the industry.8:35 What is it Francie-Pants?9:16 At age 32 he was appointed official box maker to Eugenia, wife of Napoleon III.10:00 In 1854 he opened his own shop in Paris.11:00 His uvp was knowing how to make luggage to pack high fashions and fragile objects.11:27 In 1858 he introduced the rectangular shaped trunk.11:43 Did you say zoot case?12:20 Before this, trunks were dome shaped.13:16 Transportation was changing and there was more of a need for efficient packing.14:05 Locomotives democratized travel.14:19 Louis designed his luggage to be water and stain resistant.14:53 He's looking at trends and listening to the market and using that to design his products.15:38 Everything he is doing is very strategic.16:35 Another example of dedicating your entire life to what you are doing.17:45 I like his understanding of client habits.18:05 The Damier Pattern was created in 1883.18:30 Their success was not overnight. It was not instant.19:11 1892 Louis died. In 1893 the brand was introduced to America.19:40 1896 they created the LV monogram.19:53 Gaston Louis.20:34 Traditionally second or third generation businesses crater.20:55 Their network allowed them to get to the next level. 21:36 1987 they merged with Moet-Hennessey.22:52 We hear frequently that you just need "the one".23:15 Social Media and technology have created a different paradigm.23:55 Know what your uvp and value add is.25:11 He's the perfect example of an entrepreneur.25:56 It's not about Rolex or Louis Vuitton. It's about the fallacy of instant traction.26:55 We are different and live in reality. We are the anti-social media.

Last Episode Drop on Business Relationships from the NO FOLLOWERS Podcast Themed Series: Dyson1:53 If you DM us, please follow us too.2:25 Another instant traction myth.2:42 Invented the Ballbarrow and Boat Launcher in the 1970s.5:20 It takes time to develop a quality product. 6:02 Vacuums lose suction from a layer of dust clogging the bag.6:44 Inspired by the centrifugal separator.7:58 Built a cardboard model and tested it.8:13 You may be working on one thing but be open to recognizing other opportunities.8:17 Listen to the market, find the problem and start small with a proof of concept.8:28 As creators we are also scientists and detectives looking at how things work.8:38 Dyson... Sir James Dyson.8:56 People often say that if the idea is so good someone else would have already done it.9:42 Network, funding, perseverance and having the right support system.10:59 In a shed behind his house he developed 5,127 prototypes. 11:21 It's very common for inventors and founders to get frustrated by a lack of progress.11:55 Know how your network comes into play.12:11 Rotork.13:19 Commercial success in Japan.14:29 "Say goodbye to the bag." A clear message of their unique value prop.14:48 A lot of listening to the market and iteration to find success.16:06 When major companies rejected his product, he opened Dyson Limited to make it himself.16:15 The alpha product, The Dual Cyclone Vacuum.17:03 They are true to their value of making digital electric motors.17:18 What is your strength? What is your uvp? Can you adapt into other products?17:33 It took a long time and that is the point.17:54 In our 3-phase process there can be no guarantees.19:06 "I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right."19:25 You need emotional intelligence, the ability to withstand failure and to know when to stop.19:45 It's hard as a solo inventor to persevere, you need the power of a team.20:09 My product is my baby.20:54 I love the Dyson story.21:50 If you are an inventor working on an idea just keep going until you shouldn't anymore.22:03 Keep going but get honest feedback.22:34 You need to surround yourself with people that will tell you the honest truth.22:37 Sometimes at some point we do have to stop.22:40 It's not just grit. It's strategy, emotional intelligence and network.

Think you know the story of BUBBLEWRAP??

Instant Traction 3 from NO FOLLOWERS Podcast

Episode 31 — “Instant Traction Myth: BUBBLE WRAP”

Bubble Wrap is the perfect example of why founders must stop falling in love with their first idea.

Traction often comes from the use case you didn’t expect.

Share your questions, comments, follow, subscribe & join the conversation plus reach out to the In Focus Brands' Portfolio for your business, product or idea launch, growth, scale, operations, GTM and fundraising needs.

Founders/Inventors fail because they expect traction to show up like a lottery win instead of a compounding system.Traction comes from: Repetition. Relevance. Relentless refinement. And a system that compounds.

NO FOLLOWERS Podcast Episode 28 from the First Strike Incubator. Share your questions, comments, follow, subscribe & join the conversation plus reach out to the In Focus Brands' Portfolio for your business, product or idea launch, growth, scale, operations, GTM and fundraising needs.

1:06 An instant traction myth episode.2:00 Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis found Wilsdorf & Davis in 1905.3:30 Fashion in 1905 was for pocket watches.4:05 It was called the wristlet watch.4:45 The entrepreneurial journey; wrong...wrong...wrong...right.4:54 Hans knew wristwatches were the future.5:25 They were the first to focus on precision movements in wristwatches.5:42 W&D watches are white labeled through jewelers.6:08 Hans trademarks "Rolex".7:07 What is your favorite watch brand?7:52 What do you think of when you hear the word "Rolex"?8:20 They were the first wristwatch to be awarded a certificate of performance.8:55 In 1914 they were awarded a Class "A" Precision certificate by the Kew Observatory.9:27 In 1919 they relocated to Switzerland.10:02 1926 was a game changer for them.10:20 It took 21 years to get them on the trajectory that would roll them into "Rolex".10:28 In 1926 they released, the Rolex Oyster case, the first waterproof wristwatch.11:39 I'm trying to find things everyone thinks had instant traction but did not.12:01 What if they tried to make the first dustproof/waterproof watch in 1905?12:32 Find the mvp. The best way to raise money is to sell product.12:58 What do you do when you have an idea? What do you do next?13:36 They distributed through jewelers at first.14:10 Packaging and distribution are the two things most people overlook.14:45 In 1931 they had the first self-winding wristwatch.15:33 A lot of their marketing was geared toward outdoor adventure.16:27 They could set their price because of their innovations.16:56 Rolex was rolled into a non-profit trust.17:37 They produce a million watches a year and have a revenue of $13+ billion.17:45 Get to market, understand the distribution channels and market need and get to revenue.17:56 Innovate, iterate and keep moving forward.18:05 Rolex is not an instant traction story.