Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

By Ian BlackBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup episodes

  • 049 - Launching and Closing A Daily Brain Care Business, with Brian Davis, Co-founder of Parable.

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

    This week I’m talking with Brian Davis, co-founder founder of Parable.

    Among many things, we discuss:

    • Why Brain Care is so important for an ageing population
    • The 4 Pillars of Brain Care
    • How to communicate the benefits of a product when customers aren’t problem-aware yet
    • The importance of finding founder-fit
    • The problems with fundraising and launching a business at the same time
    • Deciding to shut down the business
    • The problem with taking advice from Outliers
    • The lack of failure stories on social media

      • Sit back and enjoy the show!

      1 hr 24 min
    • 048 - Launching A Literary Career: Derek Sivers Reveals His Writing Process For His Forthcoming Book, Useful Not True.

      Welcome to Ready For Launch. This week I’m talking with Derek Sivers, ex-musician, ex-entrepreneur, TED speaker and four-time book author.

      Among many things, we discuss:

      • Why New Zealand is the best place in the world to raise a kid
      • How to adapt your values to your current situation
      • The secrets to becoming a great speaker
      • What still terrifies Derek about speaking on stage
      • The best way to write a book
      • The value of self-publishing and retaining your copyrights
      • The importance of doing the opposite of your creative habits
      • What Derek’s latest book is all about
      • How your belief and perspectives change your actions
      • The barbell strategy of living in the extremes
      • Why graveyards are a great place to sleep
      • Useful beliefs about writing.

        • And so much more! So sit back and enjoy the show

        Website

        https://sive.rs/

        1 hr 32 min
      • 047 - Launching a Network of Top Designers and Builders For Startups, with Stephanie Golik, Founder at Huddle

        Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

        This week I’m talking with Stephanie Golik Founder at Huddle.

        Among many things, we discuss:

        • From Design to Founder: Steph’s journey from studying Architecture to becoming co-founder of Huddle
        • The Power of Building: How Steph used app development as a way to kick start her career in design
        • Searching for The One: How moonlighting on different creative projects led to finding the one to go all in on.
        • The Idea Graveyard: Learnings from killing small projects that helped launch Huddle
        • Getting Paid In Equity: What designers and builders should know about getting paid in equity by startups.
        • The Art of Investment: How getting seed funding was a strategic choice in moving quickly and catching the wave of people looking for more work flexibility
        • Being Non-Scalable: The importance of doing non-scalable tasks early on to deliver a great customer experience, and how to relinquish that control later on.
        • Quarterly Planning: How looking ahead helps Huddle stay on track with their vision to make the future of work more flexible.

          • Enjoy the show!


          Links:

          Huddle site

          https://www.huddle.works/

          Want to join as a builder?

          app.huddle.works/builder-invite/itomblack

          Want to hire a team?

          app.huddle.works/invite/itomblack

          Workshops on becoming a founder

          https://www.dive.club/course/go-from-designer-to-founder


          1 hr 1 min
        • 046 - Launching a Venture Studio, with Hunter Hammonds, Founder and CEO of Assembly: Building a $100m portfolio of creator-led businesses

          Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where I, Ian Black, talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

          This week I’m talking with Hunter Hammonds, founder of Assembly.

          We discuss:

          • What Assembly is: a business that builds businesses from scratch
          • Hunter’s career pre-Assembly: from skipping college to 8-figure agencies
          • The challenges of selling a design agency
          • The importance of having your heart in your business
          • 6 key attributes of a strong business operator
          • Leading with a “Burn the ships” mentality
          • A playbook for building a business from nothing
          • Pivoting as a company of companies.
          • How to decide which businesses to invest in
          • 3 components to hiring at speed
          • The value of building an audience


            • Links:

            If you need the world’s best design team:

            https://offmenu.design/

            If you need the most kick-ass high engagement short form viral videos:

            https://www.viralcuts.co/

            Amazing product demo animation launch videos

            https://www.keyframe.design/

            The coolest youtube agency in the world

            https://www.heyfriends.studio/

            Twitter

            https://twitter.com/_hunterhammonds


            1 hr 1 min
          • 045 - PR For Startups: Everything You Wanted To Know About Hiring A PR Firm, with Brigitte Kaps, Founder of Rent a PR

            Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

            This week I’m talking with Brigitte Kaps CEO & Founder of Rent a PR, a company that offers Public Relations & Communications Advisory on demand.

            Among many things, we discuss:

            • Brigitte’s finance background before starting her company
            • Seeking out inspiration from Silicon Valley: the mindset difference of the USA
            • The main components of PR: Paid and unpaid media
            • How to create a good PR briefing
            • PR for different stages of a company: Startups to mid-cap
            • Misconceptions about PR
            • Choosing a PR agency: What kind of coverage do you need?
            • The cost of PR: from on demand to retainers
            • Crisis management for businesses
            • And much more!

              • So sit back and enjoy the show

              LinkedIn

              https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigitte-kaps-6912985/

              Company Website

              https://www.rentapr.ch/

              Twitter

              https://twitter.com/rent_a_pr

              55 min
            • 044 - Launching a New Era of Coffee Convenience, with Zach Frantz, Founder of Wildland Coffee

              Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where I, Ian Black, talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

              This week I’m talking with Zach Frantz, founder of Wildland Coffee, a company that makes coffee in tea bags.

              Among many things, we discuss:

              • The Inspiration for Wildland Coffee
              • Product Development: From co-packers to packing in-house
              • Business growth: The challenges of finding a scalable sales channel
              • When to quit: How to identify the signal from the noise when evaluating business strategies
              • Sales before Brand: The importance of revenue in the early stages of a business
              • Secrets of success: The power of the ask
              • And so much more!

                • So sit back and enjoy the show.

                Company website

                wildlandcoffee.co

                LinkedIn

                https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachfrantz/

                54 min
              • 043 - Launching a Revolutionary Dyslexia Screening & Diagnosis Business, with Jamie Wace, CEO and Co-founder of Talamo

                Welcome to Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

                This week I’m talking with Jamie Wace, CEO & co-founder of Talamo, a company dedicated to democratising access to dyslexia diagnosis.

                Among many things, we discuss:

                • Why 80% of children aren’t diagnosed with dyslexia.
                • How Jamie overcame the challenges of having dyslexia.
                • The prevailing narratives around neurodiversity.
                • How working at design agencies set Jamie up for success as a founder.
                • How Talamo pivoted over time.
                • How to run qualitative customer research for your startup.
                • The reality of running a startup as a side hustle - its challenges, and its benefits.
                • Coping with imposter syndrome, and dealing with uncertainty.
                • Planning for a future in an uncertain market.
                • And so much more…

                  • So sit back and enjoy the show!

                  Podcast

                  Talamo Thoughts

                  Website

                  https://www.talamo.co.uk/


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                  This website is sponsored by The Obsidian Design Lab.


                  1 hr 7 min
                • 042 - How to Launch a Home Electrification Startup, with Jesse Vaughan, Co-founder of Kopperfield

                  Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch.

                  I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

                  This week I’m talking with Jesse Vaughan, Co-founder and President at Kopperfield.

                  Among many things, we discuss:

                  • How we can make an impact on climate change through our home
                  • Growing up an in a family of entrepreneurs
                  • The importance of accounting in business
                  • Finding the right problem to solve as a founder
                  • Letting go of your own ideas
                  • Maintaining a healthy state of mind to make better decisions
                  • Being vulnerable with your team
                  • Go-to-market strategies for a two-sided marketplace

                    • So sit back and enjoy the show!

                    Website

                    https://www.kopperfield.com/

                    Careers

                    https://careers.kopperfield.com/

                    Contact Jesse


                    1 hr
                  • 041 - How To Launch a Content-native E-commerce Platform, with Rishabh Jain - Co-Founder & CEO at FERMAT

                    Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch.

                    I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

                    This week I’m talking with Rishabh Jain - Co-Founder & CEO at FERMAT

                    Among many things, we discuss:

                    • The impact of cookie-less browsing on Ecommerce brands
                    • How to learn to be a leader
                    • Tactics for getting the most out of your career
                    • The power of saying No
                    • The importance of placing big bets in business, to create non-linear changes
                    • How to come up with ideas that will create non-linear impact
                    • Deciding when to abandon a business idea
                    • Advice for fundraising a startup
                    • And so much more!

                      • Sit back and enjoy the show.

                      Rishabh on LinkedIn

                      https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabhmjain/

                      Rishabh on Twitter

                      https://twitter.com/rishabhmjain

                      Fermat Website

                      https://www.fermatcommerce.com/

                      57 min
                    • 040 - Launching A Survey Solution Business for E-commerce with Matt Bahr, CEO at Fairing

                      Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world.

                      This week I’m talking with Matt Bahr, CEO at Fairing.

                      Among many things, we discuss:

                      • The importance of the voice of the customer as a data source
                      • How brands use surveys to improve their products
                      • Finding product market fit through failure
                      • The shift in mindset required to go from running a bootstrapped company to a venture backed company.
                      • Choosing a cofounder
                      • Renaming the brand
                      • Why you should dogfood your own products

                        • So sit back and enjoy the show


                        Links:

                        Company Site

                        https://fairing.co/

                        Matt LinkedIn

                        https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbahr/

                        Matt Twitter

                        https://twitter.com/mattrbahr

                        Blog Post on databases

                        https://fairing.co/blog/postgres-database-shopify-data-developer-not-required


                        58 min

                      About Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

                      From the publisher's feed

                      A show about realizing the business ideas of early-stage entrepreneurs.