Powderkeg - Unvalley

The “Millennial Mentor” Gerard Adams is a thought leader for his generation and is rapidly becoming a role model for young entrepreneurs around the world.

You probably know Adams as the co-founder of Elite Daily, an online news platform and the “Voice of Generation Y,” which sold to DMG Media for $50 million in January 2015. After leaving the company, Adams did some soul searching and started Fownders, a coworking accelerator in Newark, New Jersey. The Fownders program focuses not only on scaling businesses from idea to profitability, but also on developing each entrepreneur’s emotional intelligence, social skills, and leadership abilities.

Adams aspires to be a true mentor to his peers, not just another businessperson selling the entrepreneurial lifestyle on social media. He comes from humble beginnings and has seen his share of highs and lows, which makes him very relatable to young entrepreneurs. In our interview, he explains why he is passionate about giving back to his community and empowering others, shares his best tips for authentically building an audience, and illustrates the power millennials have to shape the future.

Adams is an active voice on social media. I highly recommend checking out his Instagram and Twitter profiles @GerardAdams, as well as his outstanding YouTube show, Leaders Create Leaders. My thanks go out to Adams for coming on the show, and I hope you find our interview as inspirational and insightful as I did.

In this episode with Gerard Adams, you’ll learn:

-- How his big exit inspired him to become a mentor to other entrepreneurs

-- Why it’s important for entrepreneurs to give back to their community

-- Best practices for building an audience

-- The power millennials have to shape the future

-- How a huge failure can lead to new opportunities

-- What makes the Fownders program so unique

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Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Alicia Syrett is the founder and CEO of Pantegrion Capital, a seed and early-stage angel investment firm based in New York. You might know her better as a recurring panelist on CNBC’s Power Pitch or MSNBC’s Your Business, where you’ll see her fielding high-stakes pitches and coaching small business owners. Syrett began her career in private equity and has years of experience in financial analysis, recruiting, and early-stage startup investing.

She brings her wealth of knowledge to our interview, giving me expert insights into all things fundraising. Syrett explains how to research investors for good fit with your business, what strategies you should use to approach them, and when you should start thinking about raising capital. You’ll also learn a few of her secrets for assessing a person’s character as well as netting high-visibility media exposure.

Syrett is very active on Twitter, so follow her @AliciaSyrett and thank her for coming on the show. I also encourage you to read her book, MentHER, a practical business guide written especially for women entrepreneurs. Finally, if you’re a female startup founder and are looking for amazing advisors to serve on your board, you should consider applying to Synett’s Point 25 Initiative in New York City. The application deadline is May 15, so don’t delay!

In this episode with Alicia Syrett, you’ll learn:

-- An experienced recruiter’s tips for reading people (16:05)

-- Her advice for anyone who wants to get into angel investing (29:23)

-- The right way to research and approach investors (35:00)

-- When to raise money and what kind of financing you should seek (42:28)

-- Secrets for getting high-profile media exposure (52:58)

-- How to use inexperience as an asset rather than a liability (59:25)

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Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

On the first 25 episodes of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, we’ve been able to share dozens of best practices and actionable insights through interviews with leading tech entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders. We’ve also learned the personal stories of each guest and have witnessed some powerful moments of vulnerability and authenticity.

Some of our favorite segments on the show have come from these great spur-of-the-moment stories told by our guests. In this week’s special episode, we revisit six of the most engaging stories that provide crucial advice for founders and entrepreneurs. You’ll learn how to effectively tell your company’s story, start building an audience of followers, nail your pitch to investors, deal with rejection, and reframe your perception of adversity.

This episode features the most compelling snippets from six conversations, but we highly encourage you to listen to the full interviews for even more knowledge and practical advice from some of the brightest minds in tech. You can find links to the full interviews in the “Links and Resources” section below, as well as a selection of related Powderkeg episodes that touch on the same topics. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

In this episode featuring the Best of Powderkeg, you’ll learn:

-- All great entrepreneurs are also great storytellers (KA)

-- How to tell your story in a way that will interest others (CH)

-- Why you need to build and audience and tips to help you get started (PS)

-- Best practices for nailing your pitch to investors (KN)

-- The importance of socializing ideas and dealing with rejection (JL)

-- Why you should stop worrying and view challenges as opportunities (MY)

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Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown are the world’s leading experts on growth hacking. The two first worked together at Qualaroo, a marketing SaaS solution they grew to millions in recurring revenue before Ellis sold the company in 2016.

At the same time they were working on Qualaroo, they were also building a community of innovative marketers on Ellis’ GrowthHackers website. With Brown serving as the interim Head of Growth, the duo built GrowthHackers into a definitive learning platform, software solution, and talent pool for companies that want to supercharge their growth.

Ellis and Brown sat down with me to chat all things growth hacking. In our conversation, they explain why marketing is crucial for startups, detail how they built the GrowthHackers community through hard work and commitment, and illustrate the transformational impact successful growth hacking can have on your business.

If you’d like to dig deeper into growth hacking tips and strategies, you should check out Ellis and Brown’s upcoming book on the subject, Hacking Growth, which is scheduled to be released on April 25. They’ll also be speaking at the GrowthHackers Conference 2017 on May 24 alongside the Heads of Growth from high-profile companies like Spotify, Pandora, Uber, and more. Finally, I highly recommend GrowthHackers’ GrowthMaster Training Course, which you can enroll in at a special discounted rate by visiting growthhackers.com/training.

In this episode with Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown, you’ll learn:

--Why marketing makes or breaks startups

--How great business partnerships can begin unexpectedly

--Tips for making big business decisions

--The hard work and dedication required to build a community

--Hacking Growth’s playbook for companies looking to scale

--How growth hacking principles created a breakthrough for LogMeIn

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Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Brian Clark is a serial entrepreneur of several seven-figure online businesses, including Rainmaker Digital (which is actually now an eight-figure software company), where he currently serves as CEO. And guess what? He did it all without moving to Silicon Valley OR raising any venture funding. He did it with content marketing!

Brian and I recorded this interview at an interesting time, just before he launched his Unemployable podcast, which now reaches more than tens of thousands of subscribers. And you’ll see why after this interview...

Brian Clark is a pioneer in the $44 billion content marketing industry. He’s been building businesses with online content marketing since 1998, before anyone used that term.

He’s amassed a massive following and you can find him on social @brianclark or even @copyblogger, which is the publication Brian launched in 2006.

Copyblogger started as a simple one-man blog at Copyblogger.com. Today they're known as Rainmaker Digital — a digital commerce company with more than 200,000 unique customers — and they've grown using useful content, smart copywriting, and exceptional products and services.

Taking an unusual path for a software company, Rainmaker Digital didn’t look for venture capital to fund the development of its new platform. Instead, the company grew to $12 million in annual revenue and more than 200,000 unique customers — without advertising — thanks to the power of content marketing that builds and serves an audience.

Since 2010, they’ve grown from a small team to 65 smart, passionate people across the globe. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado, but everyone at Rainmaker Digital is free to live and work wherever they want.

As I mentioned, this is an old recording, but I’ve never released it…. I’ve been sitting on it. Waiting for the right moment, until we had a big enough audience to really soak in the value and get the biggest impact of this episode.

Since this recording, Brian launched Unemployable, a KILLER podcast with an incredible audience. You can check all of it out at unemployable.com.

You’ll want to subscribe after listening to this episode because Brian’s a super-smart tell-it-like-is guy. Totally unconventional and if you’re anything like me... you’re going to love him.

In this episode with Brian Clark, you’ll learn:

— The unexpected benefits of being “unemployable”

— Why you need to build an audience (using content marketing) before doing anything else

— How big “level-up” moments can change your career

— Tips for building a business with agile development principles

— The importance of creating robust processes

— Why you can’t let new technology distract you from the fundamentals

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Brian Clark is a serial entrepreneur of several seven-figure online businesses, including Rainmaker Digital (which is actually now an eight-figure software company), where he currently serves as CEO. And guess what? He did it all without moving to Silicon Valley OR raising any venture funding. He did it with content marketing!

Brian and I recorded this interview at an interesting time, just before he launched his Unemployable podcast, which now reaches more than tens of thousands of subscribers. And you’ll see why after this interview...

Brian Clark is a pioneer in the $44 billion content marketing industry. He’s been building businesses with online content marketing since 1998, before anyone used that term.

He’s amassed a massive following and you can find him on social @brianclark or even @copyblogger, which is the publication Brian launched in 2006.

Copyblogger started as a simple one-man blog at Copyblogger.com. Today they're known as Rainmaker Digital — a digital commerce company with more than 200,000 unique customers — and they've grown using useful content, smart copywriting, and exceptional products and services.

Taking an unusual path for a software company, Rainmaker Digital didn’t look for venture capital to fund the development of its new platform. Instead, the company grew to $12 million in annual revenue and more than 200,000 unique customers — without advertising — thanks to the power of content marketing that builds and serves an audience.

Since 2010, they’ve grown from a small team to 65 smart, passionate people across the globe. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado, but everyone at Rainmaker Digital is free to live and work wherever they want.

As I mentioned, this is an old recording, but I’ve never released it…. I’ve been sitting on it. Waiting for the right moment, until we had a big enough audience to really soak in the value and get the biggest impact of this episode.

Since this recording, Brian launched Unemployable, a KILLER podcast with an incredible audience. You can check all of it out at unemployable.com.

You’ll want to subscribe after listening to this episode because Brian’s a super-smart tell-it-like-is guy. Totally unconventional and if you’re anything like me... you’re going to love him.

In this episode with Brian Clark, you’ll learn:

— The unexpected benefits of being “unemployable”

— Why you need to build an audience (using content marketing) before doing anything else

— How big “level-up” moments can change your career

— Tips for building a business with agile development principles

— The importance of creating robust processes

— Why you can’t let new technology distract you from the fundamentals

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Knowledge comes with experience, and Jeff Leventhal has 25 years of experience in the tech startup world, including leading five companies from idea to exit and investing in many others. It’s an understatement to say he’s learned a few things on his entrepreneurial journey.

Leventhal’s great professional passion has been using technology to facilitate the delivery of professional services. His current iteration on solving this problem is WorkRails, a SaaS solution that helps other software companies sell and deliver their products. He’s also a Partner at BOLDstart Ventures, a “first check” investor for enterprise software founders.

Leventhal is great at telling engaging stories, and he transfers much of his wisdom through personal anecdotes. She shares some of his best tales in our interview, providing insights on acting in harmony with your internal wiring, socializing your business ideas and evaluating feedback, and building a team that will impress investors.

My thanks go out to Leventhal for letting me pick his brain and giving me with a few good laughs during our conversation. Check out Leventhal's LinkedIn page to learn more about his long and impressive career, and have fun listening to this episode of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups.

In this episode with Jeff Leventhal, you’ll learn:

-- Why big career decisions often come down to your personal “wiring”

-- A cheap, easy way to perform market research

-- The six “value creation moments” of a startup

-- How to win over VCs with the strength of your team

-- High-level tips for socializing your ideas and receiving criticism

-- Why New York City is a natural environment for entrepreneurs to flourish

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Meeting the right people at the right time can catapult your business to the next level. But it’s difficult to make connections that go deeper than a LinkedIn invite, and it's far too easy to play it safe at networking events, which makes forging authentic relationships that much harder.

David Olk is the cofounder and CEO of Voray, a company that facilitates small-group networking dinners. A Voray event is hosted by a key influencer in an industry who invites a select group of their close friends and colleagues to help create new connections between them. The intimate, curated nature of Voray events fosters meaningful and long-lasting business relationships between people who share common goals and have actually spoken in person.

Olk has become a master connector over the course of his career and genuinely loves to help people build relationships. In our interview, he shares many of his secrets for meaningful networking and effective business building, including the most surefire ways early-stage businesses can find traction and how to work with four different types of people you’ll find in your network.

I’m very grateful that Olk agreed to come on the show and teach the community how to create more valuable business relationships—a topic I'm personally passionate about. Enjoy the episode, and follow Olk on Twitter or through his personal blog for more insights into the mind of a networking expert.

In this episode with David Olk, you’ll learn:

-- How connections can change your career path for the better

-- Keys to finding success with an early-stage business

-- The importance of checking your ego and emotions

-- The four types of people in your network and how to interact with them

-- How and why to say “no” sometimes

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

It takes guts, grit, and an uncommon dose of wisdom to lead a business team. Sameer Dholakia has all three qualities, plus two decades of leadership experience in enterprise software.

Dholakia is the CEO of SendGrid, one of the world’s premier email delivery services. SendGrid serves 50,000 customers and delivers 1.3 billion emails each day—more than double Twitter’s daily Tweet volume. In addition to its classic transactional email API, SendGrid more recently rolled out an email marketing product that has already been adopted by 5,000 users.

Dholakia is an experienced tech executive with a love of history and a passion for building strong teams and big businesses in the enterprise software industry. In our interview, he shares his most effective leadership habits, including the importance of humility, how to foster an outstanding company culture, and strategies for turning around a dire financial situation.

I’m so grateful Dholakia took the time to share so much of his knowledge and experience with the Powderkeg community, and I admire his resolve to always keep improving himself and his company. Connect with him on Twitter @spdholakia to share your appreciation, and enjoy the show.

In this episode with Sameer Dholakia, you’ll learn:

-- How you can begin using email marketing tools for your startup

-- Strategies for launching a new product within your existing brand

-- The only mistake in business you can’t recover from

-- Why you should be a humble leader

-- How to dig yourself out of a bad financial situation

-- The two biggest challenges SaaS companies face

-- How to create an exceptional company culture

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes

Erica Duignan Minnihan knows what investors like to see in startups, and she knows the difficulties founders face meeting those expectations. She has more than 10 years of experience in early-stage startup investing, and now she’s out to help both investors and entrepreneurs be better at their jobs.

Minnihan is currently the Managing Partner at 1000 Angels, a digital venture investment platform launched by OneVest that helps independent investors around the world assess potential deals and build their personal portfolios. She also runs the CoFoundersLab Virtual Accelerator, a six-week online program that teaches founders all the basics of starting up with fewer constraints than brick-and-mortar accelerators.

Minnihan was kind enough to invite me into her New York City apartment and let me pick her brain on all things investing and starting up. In our interview, she lays out the basics of the CoFoundersLab accelerator program, explains how to draw up a roadmap for building your business or product, and shares some of the most important things that investors look for in founders and their startups.

My thanks go out to Minnihan for taking some time to educate the community on the important topics of business planning and investing. Connect with her on Twitter @ericaminnihan, or check out the virtual accelerator if you’re interested in jump-starting your business, and enjoy this episode of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups.

In this episode with Erica Duignan Minnihan, you’ll learn:

— How 1000 Angels is unique from other angel groups

— Why you need to have a marketing plan for your product

— Why investors like founders with empathy

— How to draw a roadmap for building a new business or product

— The easiest way to determine if you have product-market fit

— Why you need to have a sound financial model for your business

— What you should and shouldn’t include in your investor pitch

Please enjoy!

----

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com

This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you.

DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup.

So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg.

Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you.

We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes