Powderkeg - Unvalley

Gabriel Weinberg is the founder and CEO of DuckDuckGo, an Internet search engine that doesn’t track you or your personal data (https://duckduckgo.com/).

And in an industry dominated by goliaths like Google and Yahoo, DuckDuckGo does more than 3 billion searches per year.

Weinberg is the author of Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, and it has become the field manual for tech entrepreneurs, growth hackers, and marketers around the world.

This framework has been used by founders like Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), and Paul English (Kayak.com) to build some of the biggest companies and organizations in the world.

You can find Gabriel on Twitter at (@yegg), but he’s also a prolific writer on the blogging platform Medium, and fairly active on AngelList with more than a dozen investments he’s made into innovation-driven companies (@yegg).

This conversation with Weinberg is a masterclass on getting more customers for your business or idea.

Today Gabriel and I talk about:

— The best strategies from his book Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers

— Why he decided to compete against big companies like Google

— How he gained traction as a search engine

— And why he’s growing his tech company from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

Luis Garcia is one of the most influential people on Instagram. As of the publication of this podcast, Garcia’s three Instagram accounts alone (@AgentSteven, @MotivationMafia, and @PositiveVibesQuotes) have more than 6 million followers and get more than 30 million impressions a week.

Garcia is the founder of Ambition Media (www.ambitionmedia.co), an influencer marketing agency that has built a network of Instagram brands with more than 100+ million followers. Ambition Media has landed clients like Vayner Media founder Gary Vaynerchuk and Shark Tank star Daymond John, and is on track to have its first seven-figure year in 2017.

You can follow Luis on Instagram at @LawOfAmbition and join in his entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode you’ll learn:

— How a 20-year-old kid from a North Philly ghetto went from the warzone in Afghanistan to become one of the most sought after millennial influencers on social media

— Step-by-step marketing tips and tricks for Instagram and Periscope

— How to build value-generating relationships from scratch

— Tried and tested techniques for building, growing and enhancing your brand

— Winning principles and best practices on social media

— How to find a worthy mentor and leverage your learning experience

— Why blindly following someone or something on social media erodes your brand

— Why video has become indispensable in articulating your message

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

Jordan Wirsz manages $100 million in real estate investments as CEO of Savant Investment Partners.

Jordan is a nationally recognized real estate expert who has been recognized by members of the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Nevada state government, and has been featured on numerous national television networks including CNBC, NBC, and Fox News.

But today, we go a little off-script and go deep on business philosophy. You can find Jordan at JordanWirsz.com and @JordanWirz on twitter, so give him a shout and let him know what you liked about this interview.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1.) About Jordan’s first business deal (3:40)

2.) About Jordan’s first failed investment (5:12)

3.) How Jordan opened his company, “Extreme Aviation” (6:31)

4.) Attitudes on persevering after failed investments. (8:55)

5.) About Jordan’s mentality of responsibility after going through a large failed investment (11:44)

6.) Jordan’s thoughts of the risks of leading an expensive lifestyle (15:59)

7.) Tips from Jordan for first time entrepreneurs (20:18)

8.) About building business relationships with people through the work that you do (24:59)

9.) Why responding to emails promptly is key to gaining trust from investors (26:30)

10.) How to be more organized and increase productivity (27:30)

11.) Why practice is more important than technology (29:17)

12.) How motivation without knowledge can be hurtful (32:05)

13.) Why quality is greater than quantity in terms of learning (34:22)

14.) Why separating your business time from your leisure time is important (37:17)

15.) The importance of “recharging” every now and again. (40:25)

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

John Somorjai is Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and head of Salesforce Ventures.

Salesforce has over 3,000 partners and 150+ enterprise cloud and SaaS companies in their current investment portfolio. They’ve also had 30+ exits and five IPOs (on top of the 150!)

You can look up more about Salesforce, its acquisitions, and investments at Salesforce.com. They’re @Salesforce on twitter, but also have various other handles including @SalesforceVC, and @MarketingCloud. But you can find John at @jsomorjai on twitter. He’s extremely smart and definitely worth a follow, so give him a shout.

One of the things we didn’t get to discuss in this interview is that Somorjai has his JD from the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley. I think that’s interesting context for how he got to where he is at Salesforce and how he might think in evaluating startup companies for potential investment.

He was a senior director of corporate development at Oracle for almost 5 years before taking on a VP of Business Development role at Ingenio, a high growth company that was eventually acquired by AT&T.

Somorjai then joined forces with Marc Benioff at Salesforce, and since 2005, John has led the evaluation, deal execution and integration for all mergers and acquisitions, and investments at Salesforce. His team has helped bring the company into insane growth areas through acquisitions including Demandware, Exact Target, Radian6, Buddy Media, Heroku, the list goes on and on….

Here’s what we discuss in this episode with John Somorjai EVP at Salesforce and Salesforce Ventures:

1.) How John progressed through his career to eventually lead investments with Salesforce Ventures

2.) How Salesforce investment has helped nurture growth in the ecosystem of enterprise cloud 
companies. 


3.) Lessons from Salesforce’s expansion into European markets, and how the set themselves apart from 
other Corporate VCs

4.) Why Salesforce embraces corporate philanthropy and the 1/1/1 model 


5.) Key strategies Corporate VCs for potential investment and maximizing the opportunities they offer

6.) What makes an attractive investment for a Corporate VC

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

Our guest today is Cooper Harris, who not only has an impressive background, but has an impressive background in two different fields!

She started her career in New York, where she landed a part in the soap opera, As The World Turns. But she eventually moved to Los Angeles and stepped into the Hollywood scene.

After appearing in several movies and other TV shows, Harris became interested in entrepreneurship and started attending hackathons.

Harris won the AT&T Hackathon in Los Angeles, and then went on the first Innovation and Tech Summit during the Sundance film festival, called Collective. UKTI Innovation Award, alongside Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas.

And in February of 2015, she started a company named Klickly, an impulse buying platform and SaaS (or software as a service) product. It's built for those of us with very short attention spans. Her technology allows one touch purchases across social streams, and in emails.

You can learn more about her company at Klickly.com, spelled KLICKLY and you can reach her @CooperHarris on twitter.

Here's what you'll learn in this conversation I recorded at Klickly headquarters in Venice, California with award-winning entrepreneur and actress, Cooper Harris:

1.) The importance of having good story-telling skills as a tech entrepreneur.

2.) How to convince people to meet with you.

3.) Tips for perfecting your pitch.

Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

Our guest today is Chris Heivly, who just might be the world’s first actual map geek. I say that because he co-founded one of the first online navigation tools, MapQuest.

Some of you listeners may be too young to remember MapQuest and the wonderful experience of searching your route on your home computer so you could print your directions and take them with you.. But back in the day, MapQuest was like PURE MAGIC.

This company was Heivly’s first and it blazed the trail for other navigation-powered apps like Google Maps, Waze, and Uber. MapQuest went public in 1999 and was acquired by AOL for $1.1 billion dollars in the year 2000. That’s billion with a capital B, my Powderkeg people.

That’s a lot of money by any measure, but it was especially enormous when they sold back in the year 2000.

Since his successful exit, Chris Heivly has personally directed over $75 million in investment capital on behalf of large companies including Rand McNally, Accenture, and others.

He recently closed down the Startup Factory, which was the largest seed investment firm in the Southeast. And this conversation with Chris is just before they made their last investment at The Startup Factory (or TSF as we sometimes refer to it in this interview). But they had already made over 30 investments in high-growth startups and we caught Heivly just after a demo day for a group of their portfolio companies, so it was the perfect time to get his insight.

I want to make sure I give a shout out to his book based on his famous TEDx talk, Build The Fort, which you can find on Amazon, Kindle, or Audible. He’s super active on his personal website Heivly.com (that’s HEIVLY) and on twitter @ChrisHeivly. So give him a shout and tell him I sent you!

In this episode you’ll learn:

1.) How to perfect your pitch.

2.) What makes a good elevator pitch.

3.) How to attract the right people.

Download show notes and transcripts at powderkeg.co

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 powederkeg.co/itunes

This master connector has built a network that includes the likes of Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank, James Altucher creator of the James Altucher Show, Jack Canfield author of Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul and Lewis Howes from The School of Greatness. In fact, he recently connected with all of them in person at his global conference Thrive. He's an author, investor, speaker, and entrepreneur who has built a mission-driven business and life that has impacted millions.

Cole's power comes from his perspective. After 2 accidents 2 months apart, he was left me in a wheel chair. His body was physically broken, his heart emotionally broken, and his bank account…it was “broke” too.

Out of desperation and an uncertain future, Hatter pursued entrepreneurship. He has since launched several multimillion dollar businesses and lives what some might consider to be only a "dream" lifestyle. His motto is simple but powerful:

"It’s important to know how to make the kind of money you’ve always dreamed of making, but it’s more important to not sacrifice actually living your life while you do it."

In this episode with Cole Hatter you’ll learn:

1.) The art of manufactured urgency.

2.) The importance of authenticity.

3.) The importance of work/life balance.

4.) The true meaning of wealth, and the importance of for purpose business.

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.

Download show notes and transcripts at http://powderkeg.co

Sign up for our Powderkeg Insider newsletter with bonus interviews and behind-the-scenes access!

A SaaS innovation and leadership conversation with FinancialForce.com CEO and President, Jeremy Roche (@Jeremy_Roche). With more than 20 years of experience building and leading both public and private technology companies, Jeremy brings a wealth of executive leadership experience.

He has led businesses through IPO, de-merger and acquisition (both as acquirer and acquiree). And his work with growing FinancialForce offers insight into how to play the game of business at a rapid pace and growing scale. With $110 million in capital raised in 2015, the company’s growth has exploded, and Roche has led the team to disrupt the space of financial software.

Roche also offers a global perspective on building companies. He holds or has held Board positions in technology companies in US, UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. And FinancialForce now has offices in the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, and multiple offices in the US.

In this episode with Jeremy Roche, you’ll learn:

1.) How Jeremy Roche got into ‘the emerging world of software’ and SaaS

2.) How to balance enthusiasm from a SaaS leadership perspective

3.) The importance and practice of ‘peoplecastiing’ in achieving your goals

4.) How to surround yourself with a strong team of people that are prepared to disagree with you

5.) How Salesforce and FinancialForce came together, and how they have worked together to the benefit of both businesses

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.

Learn from serial SaaS entrepreneur and investor Kristian Andersen (@KristianIndy). And while I had met a lot of people in school, I had never met anyone like him.

Andersen is positive but direct, which I believe is the key to why he is able to accomplish so much in his companies, investments, and community. You can trace the start of his streak of successes back to 2003, when he founded Studio Science, a design and innovation agency where he still serves as CEO. He and his team have helped many B2B SaaS and innovation-driven organizations (including Verge and Powderkeg) find their brand voice, define their positioning, and design their customer journey.

Kristian Andersen is also an active angel investor and co-founder of Gravity Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund that invests in tech-focused startups. He's gone on to co-founded a few startups of his own, including; Octiv, Lessonly, Visible.vc and Pathagility. In 2016, he also co-founded High Alpha, a New Venture Studio that conceives, operates and scales enterprise cloud companies.

Beyond working on his direct startup investments, Andersen sits on a few non-profit boards, co-founded The Speak Easy & Indy Made, and serve as a mentor at The Iron Yard, RunUpLabs, and the ARK Challenge accelerators. He lives in Indianapolis full time, his wife and six (yes, six!) kids.

So dive in with open ears and an open mind, and absorb some wisdom from my good friend and mentor, Kristian Andersen.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1.) Why geography is not a factor in the success of your start up.

The power of entrepreneurship and how it's transforming communities

2.) Why developing your narrative can mean the difference between success and failure.

3.) What separates the winners from the losers in terms of mindset.

4.) The importance of gratitude.

5.) How to hire A players into your company.

This episode of Powderkeg 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.

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powder Keg Podcast.