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Kevin Gould is the founder and CEO of Kombo Ventures, and the co-founder of three incredible brands: Glamnetic, Insert Name Here and Wakeheart. Today we are going to be talking about Kevin’s tremendous success in scaling with influencers, leveraging his entertainment background in Hollywood and understanding the ins and outs of the entertainment and influencer space and applying that to real brands. Kevin will be joining us in Mexico next month for our next DFN mastermind event.

Bullet points

(00:34) Intro

(02:40) The start as an entrepreneur

(07:05) What working at a talent agency teaches

(09:58) What mistakes do you see brands make when approaching influencers?

(12:40) The difference between a one-time influencer deal and a brand ambassador

(14:27) &BAM

(16:15) Kevin’s current ventures

(18:55) Customer acquisition

(22:15) The importance of building a community and being data-driven

(23:16) Live commerce

(25:54) Mexico Mastermind 2021: Building a community of entrepreneurs and exchanging ideas

(31:00) Rapid fire question round

(31:24) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(32:32) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(34:01) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(34:46) How do you hire top talent?

(35:48) How do you identify a good business partner?

(37:17) How did you find your business partners?

(38:39) What is one of your proudest moments?

(40:05) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(40:55) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(43:10) Being constantly curious

(46:51) The compounding effect of building good relationships

(49:01) What advice would you give your younger self?

(50:13) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(51:23) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(52:10) What makes you happiest?

Brandon Hendrix is the senior vice president of marketing at Thrasio, the fastest growing profitable unicorn company in the US. Prior to Thrasio, Brandon was the head of marketing at Lovepop, where he used to manage more than one million dollars of ad spend per day on Facebook alone for massive brands. In this episode we are going to touch on Brandon's superpower: scaling with traffic sources, placement and platforms and areas you might have not considered yet. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:32) Intro

(02:42) The start as an entrepreneur

(08:33) The importance of being uncomfortable

(11:32) Getting out of your comfort zone

(14:28) Having mentors

(15:33) &BAM

(17:23) Getting into marketing and finding unique ways to scale aggressively

(29:11) Think about what you are selling and what type of traffic make sense for it

(32:03) Becoming a traffic teacher

(35:24) Wanting to learn more and figuring out what to do next: Focusing on startups

(40:14) There’s always a way to make traffic work better

(45:44) The best traffic sources for 2021

(50:09) Mexico Mastermind 2021

John Hagan formerly was the director of performance marketing at Purelei, an 8-figure fast-growing company specializing in influencer marketing, one of John's superpowers. Now, John is the co-founder at Volt agency, a boutique performance marketing and development agency that specializes in the growth of DTC businesses. At Volt, they help brands with their dark posting strategies and the matchmaking between brands and influencers. In today’s episode we will get into paid social and influencer marketing. We will discuss what dark posting is and how you can start implementing dark posting strategies for your brand. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:30) Intro

(02:52) The start as an entrepreneur

(04:39) What can be achieved online with the right setup and product

(06:15) Going from dropshipping to branding

(07:31) Understanding how to do paid social

(09:33) What is dark posting

(11:45) &BAM

(13:33) Reaching out to influencers and structuring a deal

(16:41) How does dark posting affect the influencer

(17:57) The difference in ROAS

(18:45) People-to-people sales

(22:55) Low-hanging fruit in dark posting: Posting as the founder of the brand

(28:20) Low-hanging fruit in dark posting: Working with influencers you already had success with

(29:33) Going with new influencers

(30:40) Founding Volt Agency

(31:49) Media buying

(32:16) Full-stack development

(34:05) Incubation

(34:54) Where to find out more

(35:19) Rapid fire question round

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

(37:34) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(38:56) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(40:05) How do you hire top talent?

(41:17) What mistakes or challenges need to be overcome to be a successful media buyer?

(42:44) What might a media buying process look like?

(43:40) How do you evaluate a good business deal?

(44:39) What is one of your proudest moments?

(45:27) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(47:11) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(49:41) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(51:31) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(52:25) What advice would you give your younger self?

(53:07) What was your biggest challenge starting in business and how did you overcome it? 

(54:04) What makes you happiest? 

(55:19) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Van Oakes is a performance marketer, international speaker and CMO of Diesel Power Gear, an online ecommerce store that did 35 M last year, over a 100 M to date and has its own TV show on the Discovery Channel called the Diesel Brothers. He also cofounded an agency called Explosive Growth Marketing that focuses on Snapchat as a paid ads channel, and in 2019 Snaptchat named Van and his team the star of the year.

Bullet points

(00:37) Intro

(02:31) Being an international speaker

(03:12) The start as an entrepreneur

(06:09) What transferable skills did you learn in sales that are applying today?

(07:47) Did you have a door opener for door-to-door sales?

(10:21) Getting into online businesses

(14:22) Becoming Snapchat star of the year in 2019

(16:07) What works on Snapchat

(20:27) CPM and conversion: Snapchat vs Facebook

(22:11) &BAM

(23:59) Diesel Power Gear’s business model

(27:32) Diesel Power Gear’s YouTube channel

(28:42) How the TV show started

(31:13) Attribution

(33:27) Martyn’s anecdote: Knowing and calling your customers

(35:31) How much are you spending on each channel?

(37:14) SMS marketing and doing promotions

(40:57) What do you often get invited to speak on?

(41:34) Working with influencers

(45:06) The legalities of doing giveaways

(46:42) Where to find out more

(47:41) Rapid fire question round

(48:34) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(49:46) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(50:32) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(52:36) How do you hire top talent?

(51:49) How do you evaluate a good business deal?

(54:24) How do you identify a good business partner?

(55:27) What is one of your proudest moments?

(55:41) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(56:06) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(59:19) Do you track anything?

(01:03:09) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(01:04:31) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(01:05:31) What advice would you give your younger self?

(01:06:58) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:07:44) What makes you happiest?

(01:09:11) Any asks or requests for the audience?

David Paynter is a former cricketer and the founder and CEO of Payntr, a 7-figure brand offering performance footwear. In this episode we will talk about how David’s background helped him to identify a gap in the market and launch a successful brand that truly stands out. From the early prototype stages, to navigating both online and offline selling, David will share his journey to becoming the fastest growing cricket footwear brand in the world, now expanding into other sports. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:55) Intro

(02:50) David’s background

(07:30) The start as an entrepreneur: Identifying a gap in the market

(12:19) The early prototyping stages

(17:29) Growing and the story behind the name and logo

(24:03) &BAM

(25:50) Standing out and navigating online selling

(30:29) Managing cash flow

(32:49) Transitioning into golf

(37:15) Where to find out more

(38:13) Rapid fire question round

(38:31) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(39:29) What is the most common or biggest mistake that leaders make?

(40:43) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(41:58) How do you hire top talent?

(43:33) How do you evaluate a good business deal?

(45:12) How do you identify a good business partner?

(46:44) What is one of your proudest moments?

(48:13) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(50:55) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(52:18) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(53:45) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(54:52) Which professional cricketer were you more excited to see wearing your shoe?

(56:55) Creating a limited edition pair

(57:58) What advice would you give your younger self?

(59:23) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:00:29) What makes you happiest?

(01:02:59) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Today we are joined by Anna and Darren Gough. Anna Gough is the founder of Breathing Tree, where she is a breath work coach helping people around the world with breathing. She is also the head of events of Care For Wild, the world's largest orphan rhino sanctuary, and a mother of two very successful boys. Daren Gough MBE is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, broadcaster, commentator and winner of Strictly Come Dancing.

Today we will talk about Darren’s start in cricket and the role Anna played in advancing his career. Anna and Darren will share how they coped with having a baby while Darren was on tour, how they deal with the press and how they cope during the hard times. Finally, we will talk about Care For Wild, and what you can do to help too. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:43) Intro

(03:04) Darren’s start in cricket

(11:23) How did you integrate yourself and become a part of the team where you started off as an outsider?

(19:13) &BAM

(20:58) How Anna and Darren coped with having a baby while Darren was on tour

(30:20) The history behind Liam’s full name

(31:23) Dealing with the press and being apart from your family

(36:43) How to cope during the hard times / Dealing with negative comments

(56:43) Starting a charity and building relationships: Care For Wild

(53:13) Raising awareness and social media: Care For Wild wine range

(56:50) Where to find out more about Care For Wild

(59:35) Where to find out more about Breathing Tree

(01:00:55) Rapid fire question round

(01:01:15) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(01:03:01) What is one of your proudest moments?

(01:04:31) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(01:07:59) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(01:16:18) What advice would you give your younger self?

(01:21:37) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:25:14) What makes you happiest?

(01:26:48) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Yanik Silver truly redefines how business is played in the 21st century at the intersection of evolutionary growth, impact and fun. He is the creator of the Cosmic Journal, an amazing hand-crafted and hand-drawn journal, the author of Evolved Enterprise and the founder of Maverick1000, a global collective of visionary entrepreneurs making a serious difference in the world, without taking themselves too seriously. In today’s episode we will be having a conversation around identity and culture, and why words truly matter both in business and in your personal life. We will also talk about the power of meditation and how to find your purpose. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:32) Intro

(02:27) The start as an entrepreneur

(05:57) Getting into direct response marketing

(09:12) What principles still apply today when selling something? Providing a reason why

(13:58) Why words are important: Providing an identity

(16:43) &BAM

(18:32) Being an Internet marketing guru and helping people get their knowledge into the world

(20:28) The cosmic alarm clock moment

(22:06) Starting Maverick Business Adventures

(26:20) Maverick1000: Evolving and becoming profitable

(28:34) A conversation around identity and culture

(35:03) Finding your purpose: What questions should you ask yourself?

(40:22) Evolved Enterprise

(43:53) The Cosmic Journal

(47:37) Where to find out more

(48:48) Rapid fire question round

(49:29) If you ever had to start again, how would you find your purpose faster?

(50:31) What is the most common or biggest mistake that you see leaders making?(52:27) Living life more playfully

(01:00:30) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(01:02:27) What is one of your proudest moments?

(01:03:13) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(01:04:09) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(01:05:02) The power of meditation

(01:07:10) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(01:12:53) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(01:13:23) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:15:01) What advice would you give your younger self?

(01:15:35) What makes you happiest?

(01:16:38) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Kilian Markert is the founder of Peak Performance Mentoring, where he transforms busy business owners into consistent high-performers who grow their business without sacrificing other areas or burning out. Today Kilian will share his advice on how to improve your everyday life, plus some great tips to help you remove distractions and recharge during the day. If you know business-wise you are taking all the necessary steps, but you can’t bring that drive and consistency to your personal areas, if you feel distracted, your sleep is suffering or your diet looks more like that of a college student than that of a high-performing business owner, then this episode is definitely for you.

Bullet points

(00:42) Intro

(02:23) The start as an entrepreneur

(05:05) Getting started as a coach

(17:17) &BAM

(08:56) Launching Peak Performance Mentoring

(09:40) Helping entrepreneurs deal with burnout

(12:19) The 80/20 fixers

(21:10) How to remove distractions and recharge during the day

(27:17) Where to find out more

(27:48) Rapid fire question round

(28:07) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(28:30) Three questions to ask your friends and family

(30:00) What is the most common or biggest mistake that you see leaders making?

(31:20) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(32:32) What is one of your proudest moments?

(33:17) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(34:00) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(36:33) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(37:13) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(39:11) What advice would you give your younger self?

(39:51) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(41:00) What makes you happiest?

(42:27) Any asks or requests for the audience?

Darius Kunca is an ecommerce investor and the co-founder at AdKings Agency, a boutique growth agency specializing in ecommerce businesses. They have nine clients who they scaled collectively to 45 M dollars in sales last year, spending 18 M to get there. Today we will get into one of their success stories: Scaling an ecommerce brand from 0.5 M to 26 M in just a year. We will also discuss the best strategies to scale fast in 2021 and how to deal with the two most common problems in ecommerce. All this and much more, up next.

Bullet points

(00:32) Intro

(02:29) The start as an entrepreneur

(05:58) Starting an ecommerce business

(08:25) Moving onto the next project and learning from failure

(10:34) Getting back into ecommerce

(13:53) &BAM

(16:03) What size client do you typically work with?

(17:31) Growing ecommerce brands in 2021

(19:04) What things make you excited to work with a client?

(21:23) The journey to scaling client from 0.5 M to 26 M revenue levels in 12 months

(25:03) Creating custom ads for the times of the year customers buy more

(26:38) Getting rid of Facebook tracking

(30:03) What kind of ROAS were you getting as you scaled?

(31:48) What is your best advice for ecommerce brands to scale fast in 2021?

(33:41) Advertising strategies for AdWords and YouTube

(35:35) Remarketing on YouTube

(36:47) How to deal with the two most common problems: Cash flow and stock management

(40:24) Where to find out more

(41:07) Rapid fire question round

(41:24) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(42:29) What is the most common or biggest mistake that you see leaders making?

(43:52) Who is a great leader (alive or dead) and why?

(45:02) How do you hire top talent?

(46:53) How do you evaluate a good business deal?

(48:00) What is one of your proudest moments?

(48:40) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(49:02) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(54:54) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(55:53) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(57:57) What advice would you give your younger self?

(58:48) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(59:29) What makes you happiest?

(01:00:07) Any questions or requests for the audience?

Rok Hrastnik is an international ecommerce leader and a true legend when it comes to ecommerce growth. He specializes in agile ecommerce leadership, international ecommerce organizational design, ecommerce growth strategy and demand generation. Rok has built two ecommerce businesses and scaled them past the 40 M euros a year mark. How, you may ask? He creates chaos and then turns that chaos into organized growth. Find out how Rok helps export ecommerce companies grow, and all the benefits of creative chaos, up next.

Bullet points

(00:33) Intro

(02:30) The start as an entrepreneur

(10:02) Helping export ecommerce companies get to the next level of growth

(15:17) One principle in ecommerce that remains true today

(21:15) Selling in other territories from a small country like Slovenia

(28:18) Figuring out distribution

(29:10) Simplifying the business

(30:22) Driving people to English landing pages vs localizing as much as possible

(33:30) Where to start

(35:09) Having a local domain

(36:13) Figuring out the payment methods

(38:56) Figuring out distribution

(40:24) How to figure out everything out faster: Look at the local players

(43:50) Turning chaos into organized growth

(47:08) Where to find out more

(48:22) Some examples of thinking-out-of-the-box marketing

(52:05) Rapid fire question round

(52:22) If you ever had to start again, how would you make your money?

(53:12) What is the most common or biggest mistake that you see leaders making?

(56:04) Who is the best leader ever (alive or dead) and why?

(57:50) What is one of your proudest moments?

(59:23) What is one interesting fact about you that not many people would know?

(01:00:02) What daily routines do you have (morning or evening) that have helped make you successful?

(01:00:51) What book (or books) changed your mindset or life?

(01:01:50) What is the most exciting question you spend your time thinking about?

(01:02:49) What is one controversial opinión that you have?

(01:03:47) What advice would you give your younger self?

(01:05:14) What unusual or underrated food or drink should more people try out?

(01:11:21) What makes you happiest?