ProfitLed Podcast

In this episode, Devesh Khanal, Co-founder of growandconvert.com shares:

• Why most content sucks
• Why vast marketing budget is spent on things with no ROI
• How to create content that converts by focusing on customer pain points

Grow and Convert is a content marketing agency and consultancy that helps growing businesses.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Devesh also discusses:

• What are some things content agencies do that have zero ROI?
• Why do you need to sell yourself in your own content?
• How do you hire a good writer or agency?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Greg Head, Founder at Practical Founders shares:

• What every founder should know before raising venture capital
• The roles VCs play in your company after writing a big check
• Why VC backed companies need to grow at all costs or risk becoming "zombie startups"

Practical Founders is a podcast and peer group designed for practical founders who are building valuable software companies without big funding.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Amman also discusses:

• What was your experience with VC funded companies that ultimately gave you the perspective that you have today?
• How are Practical Founders are different from VC backed?
• What recommendations would you have for founders who need funding but don't want to go the VC route?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Amman Ahmed, Founder at MusicForPets shares:

• Why running a VC-backed startup turned Amman into a bootstrapper
• How he came up with the idea to make music for pets
• How he got the company off the ground as a non-technical solo founder

MusicForPets has been making relaxing music for pets since 2011 to help with a range of anxiety issues. Their two main channels include RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Amman also discusses:

• What was your go-to-market strategy for MusicForPets?
• What were the biggest challenges of being a non technical founder, and how did you overcome them?
• What should founders think about before going out to raise venture capital?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this second ProfitLed Office Hours episode, Troy Munson, 2x bootstrapped founder and large enterprise sales rep connects with host, Melissa Kwan, to discuss questions like:

• Where is eWebinar at today in terms of size and revenue?
• How do you find contractors you trust?
• How did you get your first customers, then get customers who didn't know you to buy the product?
• Did you get your first customers to pay you or were they free?
• What are some $0 marketing strategies you use?
• How should entrepreneurs think about side hustles?

Fellow bootstrapped founders are invited on ProfitLed Office Hours to discuss or ask anything they want around building their company.

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Gavin Hammar, Founder at StoryPrompt shares:

• His most important learnings post acquisition after bootstrapping for 12 years
• What made him decide to sell the company and how he felt after it closed
• The things he's doing different this time around with StoryPrompt

StoryPrompt empowers brands to strengthen relationships with customers, employees, and their community through asynchronous face-to-face video conversations – either in groups or one-on-one. 

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Gavin also discusses:

• How did you get Sendible off the ground as a side project?
• What happened when you tried raising capital?
• What hiring mistakes did you make before and what does culture mean to you now?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Justin Welsh shares:

• What living an intentional life means and how to define it
• The mission that gets him out of bed every morning
• Why it's important for everyone to have a system for content creation

Justin is a solopreneur who is building a portfolio of one-person businesses to $5M in revenue. Be sure to follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter as he shares his processes daily.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Justin also discusses:

• What are some things you’re struggling with now and how do you overcome them?
• What were the different phases in your journey that you’ve progressed through? 
• What would you say to people who follow your method but are not seeing the results they want to see yet?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Aaron Krall, Founder at SaaS Growth Hacks shares:

• What SaaS founders are talking about most nowdays
• The psychology behind using your best customers to craft your product messaging
• How to conduct customer interviews to let them tell you the problem you're solving

SaaS Growth Hacks is the largest SaaS community on Facebook.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Aaron also discusses:

• How SaaS Growth Hacks started and the future of this community.
• What are the key things you want to extract from customer interviews?
• What’s the best content structure for a homepage that converts?
• When should companies to go through this messaging exercise?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Alan Macek & Geoff Mowatt, Partners at the law firm, DLA Piper shares:

• What patents are (provisional, non-provisional, patent pending)
• How businesses can determine if they have something patentable
• How patents can help or hurt businesses

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan, Alan, and Geoff also discusses:

• What are some common misconceptions about patents?
• How can a business determine if they have something that is patentable?
• What’s the process for filing for a patent and what does it cost?
• When should companies start thinking about patents?

DLA Piper is a global law firm capable of taking care of the most important legal needs of clients wherever they do business.

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this episode, Miguel Fernandez, Cofounder & CEO at Capchase shares:

• What it's really like running a venture backed unicorn
• What non-dilutive capital is and who it's designed for
• How you can qualify in 48 hours so you don't have to raise more capital

Capchase is the most flexible, non-dilutive funding for your subscription-based or SaaS business.

ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Miguel also discusses:

• The failed ventures that enabled the founding of Capchase.
• What’s the hardest thing about running a venture backed company?
• How do you stay nimble and move quickly as your company gets larger?
• What are your thoughts on startups raising venture capital vs. other financing options?
• What kind of companies are best suited for non-dilutive funding?
• What are the minimum requirements to get funding from Capchase?
• What are the steps to get approval and how long does it take?
• How is funding structured and what is the payback period?

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.

In this first ProfitLed Office Hours episode, Meaghan Burns from Dunyasi Ventures connects with host, Melissa Kwan, to discuss questions like:

• How are you building your company around your life?
• What's your advice on how non-technical founders can find cofounders?
• What has been your biggest challenge building your company on the road as a digital nomad?
• Do you hire developers direct or through an agency?
• How did you transition from founder to CEO?
• How did you structure your business so your team can also have flexibility?
• How did you stay motivated through the hard times in your previous startup?

Fellow bootstrapped founders are invited on ProfitLed Office Hours to discuss or ask anything they want around building their company.

Show notes:

• Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. 

Connect with our host:

• Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.
• Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to  'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.
• Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.

This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar:

Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.