Smarter Destiny Podcast: Quick Proven Growth Tactics From Founders You Can Use ASAP - Subscribe Now!

Erika Zeigyte is the founder and CEO at Prosana. Erika helps small startups, agencies and ecommerce brands with all the kind of problems that fast growing companies usually experience. Erika is on a mission to help business owners who feel stuck in a ‘catching up’ cycle by building high-performance remote teams and operations.

Bullet points

(00:39) Intro

(02:54) The start as an entrepreneur

(04:09) Going into digital marketing

(04:50) Having early conversations with founders in trouble

(06:04) A typical first conversation with a founder

(09:56) The importance of having a clear mission and vision for your company

(09:53) Working with a company

(10:47) Top 3 problems and solutions

(11:25) First: Get the infrastructure right

(12:08) Second: Develop empathy

(12:40) Third: Understand the strengths of your team

(15:16) Having a vivid vision

(16:20) Understanding each other and developing empathy

(17:48) Helping founders recruit internationally

(20:28) The interview process

(22:08) Founding Prosana

(22:48) Thinking outside the box for building processes

(24:07) Where to find out more

(24:47) Rapid fire question round

(25:03) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(25:23) How do you hire top talent?

(26:18) How do you identify a good business partner?

(27:20) What is one of your proudest moments?

(28:34) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(29:12) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(30:57) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(32:23) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(32:05) What advice would you give your younger self?

(33:14) Some tactics for reading more

(35:27) What was your biggest challenge starting in business and how did you overcome it?

(36:36) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(37:23) What makes you happiest?

(38:24) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Brendan Kane is the founder of Hook Point, author of Hook Point and author of One Million Followers. Brendan is an expert of growth strategy who thrives on helping individuals and companies systematically find and engage new audiences. He and his team have achieved over 50 billion views online and billions in revenue for their clients, such as MTV, Vice Magazine, Google, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and other massive names. Today we are going to focus on virality across the different social networks and learn how to become viral, how to engage, stand out and dominate organically the various different social networks. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:35) Intro

(02:05) The start as an entrepreneur

(05:42) Providing value

(07:04) One Million Followers: Building platforms and working with Taylor Swift

(09:35) The inflection point: Testing methodologies

(14:43) Needs vs wants

(16:18) Reaching one million followers in 30 days

(18:05) How to gain followers

(18:26) First: Put followers aside

(19:27) Second: Start with research

(23:22) Debunking a myth about the algorithm

(24:15) Pleasing the algorithm

(26:15) Proving to the algorithm that you can hold attention: Stopping the scroll

(29:06) How to increase retention

(29:50) First: The Jenga theory

(31:45) Second: How are you communicating?

(33:51) Where to find out more

(35:11) Rapid fire question round

(35:27) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(36:00) Selling B2B

(36:38) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(37:16) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(38:01) How do you identify a good business partner?

(39:05) What is one of your proudest moments?

(39:48) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(40:45) Working on yourself

(44:44) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(46:14) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(49:55) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(52:02) What advice would you give your younger self?

(52:34) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(54:54) What makes you happiest?

(56:04) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Dan Nikas is a former homicide detective turned entrepreneur and online marketer. Today we welcome Dan back to the show to talk about email marketing, specifically what Dan has learned as the founder and CEO of Gearbunch, a multi 7-figure print-on-demand brand that caters to niche audiences. We are going to get into email marketing, how iOS 14 and 15 affect email marketing and how to overcome it. We will also discuss how to get more subscribers and the best automated flows to set up in your email. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:43) Intro

(03:00) Launching Gearbunch

(04:16) Leveraging an email list

(05:19) Tracking and iOS 14

(07:17) Email marketing and iOS 15

(09:02) Navigating the changes in email marketing

(10:43) Using Klaviyo

(14:05) Email marketing vs Facebook marketing

(16:39) Segmenting Apple users

(19:53) Connecting Klaviyo with your store and other accounts

(23:10) How to drive growth through giveaways

(33:03) Cross-sells and upsells flows

(41:24) Where to find out more

Will McDowell is the founder & CEO at Tastily, an UK-based meal service that allows food lovers to have fresh and balanced food in their fridge. Tastily is lovingly made by chefs the day before, with high nutritional standards to ensure that every dish is nutritionally balanced. Will himself lost 30 kg of weight using a meal subscription service, and that was an important learning that cultivated the beginning of Tastily. Tastily was a fast launching brand, hitting 1M ARR in its first year of trading. It also has some important charity components, as well as being sustainable and carbon neutral.

Bullet points

(00:42) Intro

(03:00) The start as an entrepreneur

(04:42) Having a door opener for door-to-door sales

(05:52) Going back to the UK and becoming a recruiter

(06:56) Moving to New York and changing paths

(07:47) Putting on weight and discovering a pre-made meal delivery service

(09:21) Quitting and going to New Zealand

(11:12) The pandemic, going back to the UK and founding Tastily

(13:42) The early stages of getting everything set up

(17:21) Some advice on recruiting

(25:33) Promoting sustainability as a company

(29:06) Animal welfare

(29:45) The charitable component: Chefs in Schools

(33:37) Where to find out more and how to invest in Tastily

(35:04) Rapid fire question round

(35:33) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(36:10) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(36:24) How do you hire top talent?

(37:14) Recruiting on LinkedIn

(38:24) How do you identify a good business partner?

(38:48) What is one of your proudest moments?

(39:02) Connecting with Chefs in Schools

(40:12) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(40:47) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(41:33) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(44:46) What advice would you give your younger self?

(45:28) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(45:52) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(46:52) What makes you happiest?

(47:43) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Nish Samantray cofounded Arrae his wife, a 100% natural wellness company which creates supplements that work in under 1 hour. They are a fast-growing mid 7-figure business, hitting their first 1 million within 6 months of launch. Arrae has customers across North America and the Middle East and they won numerous awards, including best bloat supplement. Nish comes from a tech background, and his superpower is to find and marry up unique abilities to get complementary and exciting results across the business that result in growth.

(00:31) Intro

(02:18) The start as an entrepreneur

(04:31) The next thing: Getting a job and beginning a side project

(06:40) Starting a company in the wellness industry

(10:26) Launching and hitting the 1 M mark

(11:39) Working with a limited budget

(13:04) Getting the word out

(14:54) The difference between growth vs marketing

(20:06) The story behind the name Array

(22:05) Where to find out more

(22:50) Creating content that resonates on TikTok

(24:58) Rapid fire question round

(25:15) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(26:08) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(26:45) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(27:51) How do you evaluate a good business deal?

(28:26) What is one of your proudest moments?

(29:06) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(29:54) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(32:36) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(34:57) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(35:53) What advice would you give your younger self?

(37:17) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(37:42) What makes you happiest?

(39:08) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Lauren Haynes is an herbalist, founder and CEO at Wooden Spoon Herbs, a holistic alternative to the westernized medicine approach. Lauren has been a clinical herbalist for ten years and started Wooden Spoon Herbs from her passion for medicinal plants. Wooden Spoon is a multi 6-figure brand that has been bootstrapped from the beginning. They sell world wide, are certified organic and are aligned with 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of their gross revenue to social causes, in this case, the medicinal plant conservation.

(00:34) Intro

(02:51) The start as an entrepreneur

(04:19) The start of Wooden Spoon

(06:01) From direct to consumer to wholesale

(08:15) Helping the planet

(09:21) The early experiments

(12:21) The testing phase

(13:17) The importance of mushrooms

(16:30) The challenges of manufacturing something new

(18:04) Medicinal plants conservation

(21:27) Where to find out more

(22:30) Rapid fire question round

(22:54) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(23:26) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(24:02) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(24:31) What are your top three herbs?

(26:28) How do you hire top talent?

(28:11) How do you identify a good business partner?

(30:37) What is one of your proudest moments?

(31:21) Generating seed capital

(34:32) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(34:37) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(36:04) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(37:07) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(38:34) What advice would you give your younger self?

(39:19) What was your biggest challenge starting in business and how did you overcome it?

(40:01) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(40:49) What makes you happiest?

(42:00) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Dash Lilley is the cofounder of Three Spirit, a non-alcoholic functional drinks company. Dash has created plant-based, alcohol-free drinks that contain remarkable ingredients for a fantastic alternative to alcohol for a happier, healthier and more connected night out. Today he will share his story, from becoming an entrepreneur to trying out different ingredients and combinations to create a social elixir and a 7-figure company. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:37) Intro

(02:27) The uniqueness of the name Dash

(03:59) The start as an entrepreneur

(11:44) Getting out of the business and looking for the next thing

(13:32) Getting into non-alcoholic spirits

(18:48) Trying ingredients and combinations

(29:29) Overcoming the most common objections from customers

(32:37) Where to find out more

(37:32) Rapid fire question round

(37:51) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(38:56) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(40:22) How do you identify a good business partner?

(41:19) What is one of your proudest moments?

(42:42) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(46:02) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(48:53) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(52:05) What advice would you give your younger self?

(52:24) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(54:38) What makes you happiest?

(55:30) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Rebecca Louise is an international fitness entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Rebecca Louise Fitness, best-selling author of It Takes Grit, and founder of the BTES Fitness App. A continual content creator and empowerment-focused influencer, Rebecca strives to make fitness and success accessible to the masses through her numerous platforms and courses. Rebecca’s mission to help others overcome excuses and achieve lasting change has garnered her 2 M followers on Instagram and half a billion views on YouTube.

Bullet points

(00:41) Intro

(02:52) The start as an entrepreneur

(06:29) Being on a TV show and working with a mentor

(10:19) Moving to London to work at a bank

(12:21) Moving to America to become a pilot

(16:11) Auditioning in America and getting the role

(18:37) Creating a different channel

(20:03) Building a following in 2021

(22:21) Building your personal brand

(23:51) What platform should you use?

(25:31) What does your team look like now?

(28:37) Developing the BTES app

(32:23) Where to find out more

(33:58) Rapid fire question round

(34:16) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(34:49) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(35:36) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(36:24) How do you hire top talent?

(37:13) What is one of your proudest moments?

(38:04) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(38:51) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(40:16) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(41:03) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(46:38) What advice would you give your younger self?

(48:15) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(49:58) What makes you happiest?

Salvatore Notaro is the founder and managing director of Vivo Life, an 8-figure brand that sells natural plant-based health and fitness supplements. Vivo Life is on a mission to empower and inspire people to live their full potential whilst supporting the planet we live on and the animals we share it with. Salvatore is using his brand to make the world better, not just by helping their customers, but actually serving real world problems. VIvo Life has planted more than 360,000 trees and removed 55,000 kg of plastic from the ocean. In today's episode, Salvatore will share his story, from struggling with anxiety and depression, to becoming a successful entrepreneur. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:32) Introducing

(02:22) Struggling with anxiety and depression

(06:38) The start as an entrepreneur

(09:08) The turning point: Starting to manufacture

(12:05) The manufacturing process

(16:03) Developing new products

(17:52) Inspiring people through responsible marketing

(18:49) Funding the business

(26:42) Where does most sales come from?

(27:37) Where does most traffic come from?

(30:07) Influencer marketing

(32:03) Adding value through content creation

(34:53) Retail

(35:51) Taking social responsibility: Planting trees, removing plastic from ocean and doing carbon neutral deliveries

(46:34) Where to find out more

(46:49) Rapid fire question round

(47:07) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(48:04) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(49:39) How do you hire top talent?

(51:45) What is one of your proudest moments?

(53:14) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(54:16) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(57:00) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(58:25) What advice would you give your younger self?

(01:00:16) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:01:37) What makes you happiest?

(01:02:54) Any asks or requests for the audience?