Steve Edwards is the founder and CEO of Premier Virtual, a virtual platform where recruiters can host online job fairs from the comfort of their own home. A self-proclaimed sales guy, Steve worked various roles in the sales industry and moved his way up to a VP of sales before starting Premiere Virtual. Steve is also a veteran and credits the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division with developing his discipline and his approach to leadership.

Who is Steve Edwards, and how did he start Premiere Virtual? [1:02]

Transitioning to an entirely-virtual environment and the benefits of virtual recruiting [5:22]

How does a platform differentiate itself from other platforms? Developing ways to tackle problems is key to creating something that is both unique and useful [7:40]

Improving user experience by actively seeking out user feedback and continuing to evolve your product [13:33]

A founder’s nightmare — building a tech platform as a non-technical founder [18:33]

Steve’s advice for founders: Have a software engineer on your team to help navigate the technical aspects of founding a company [24:45]

How much did it cost to develop your MVP? [28:27]

Steve’s tip: You can’t talk to developers like you talk to a sales person [32:00]

How do you know when to go all in? Making tough decisions and the importance of finding an entrepreneurial mentor group [33:28]

Why Steve choose to bootstrap his company rather than raise venture capital funding [37:26]

Resources available to veterans looking to start their own company [40:27]

Experiencing rapid growth as the world moves to remote work [43:30]

Building a work culture that supports and elevates team members [47:45]

Finding employees that will stick around and weather the storm can be difficult. Hire talent based on attitude and drive [49:15]

Using employee feedback to become one of the best places to work [54:30]

Servant leadership and the benefits of playing to your team’s strengths [57:54]

Coming full circle: Steve recalls having the US Army reach out to him in order to use Premiere Virtual with their new recruits [1:02:24]

What does future growth look like for Premier Virtual? [1:03:30]

With technological advances, industries are always changing. Take advantage of this to become the next industry leader [1:10:23]

Need some startup advice, or looking to grow your company and hire new talent? You can reach out to Steve at [email protected] [1:14:00]

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Lynn Marks and Gideon Marks, a daughter-father duo, join Annaka and Ethan to share their story building DogLog, a family-run startup that allows users to log their dog’s activity and daily health data with their smartphone. Lynn recalls how her family’s own struggles lead them to develop the app which now has 100,000+ downloads. Lynn and Gideon walk us through the process of starting a company with your family, building organic customers, bootstrap funding, and finding a way to monetize your product.  

Lynn Marks is the President and Co-founder of DogLog, a data-centric app that helps pet owners track their dog’s daily activities and health information. Gideon Marks is a serial entrepreneur who has mentored and launched numerous startups throughout his career.  Lynn combined her background in project management with her fathers’s entrepreneurship experience and her brother’s software background to build Doglog and empower users to log their pet’s data in order to better manage their furry friend’s health and schedule. 

Time Stamps: 

Who is Lynn Marks, and where did the idea for DogLog come from? [0:54]

Working with family and building a team that allows you to create solutions to pain points [4:00]

Is it better to start a business with your family? [10:05]

Growing a user base at the dog park, on Reddit, and with social media [12:03]

Using local media like the local newspaper and television station to promote your product [15:20]

Leveraging user feedback to create new features and evolve [17:08]

People can have more than one dog? The importance of listening to your users and understanding problems from various perspectives [21:03]

Monetizing DogLog and creating a strategy for revenue generation  [22:15]

How do you get people to pay for premium features of an app? [26:45]

Bootstrapping a business and using your own funds to create a sustainable business [31:01]

Supporting your children and encouraging kids to achieve their goals [34:02]

Scalability and the future growth of DogLog [35:50]

Lynn’s biggest surprises: How much you learn about users and the challenges of marketing [38:20]

Encouraging passion and setting an example for your family [41:30]

Navigating problems and finding tech solutions as a non-technical founder [46:00]

A benefit of a family-ran endeavor — It’s easy to feel comfortable working through struggles and creating a support system [52:00]

Utilizing customer data and finding trends that can help you entering the industry  [53:55]

Lynn’s advice for entrepreneurs: Work on something you are passionate about, and find a pain point that you care about solving  [57:52]

Gideon’s advice for entrepreneurs: Build a team that complements each other [59:10]

Check out DogLog! [1:00:42]

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DogLog Links: 

Facebook

Website

Mail to: 
[email protected] 

Sol walks us through the R&D process of creating his beverage and how he forged partnerships to grow and expand his relaxation brand, Leilo.

Sol Broady is the founder and CEO of Leilo, a non-alcoholic relaxation beverage. Sol created his company while obtaining his undergraduate degree at Columbia University and leveraged the university community to build his team and launch his relaxation brand.  

Leilo Links:  

https://www.leilo.com/

https://www.instagram.com/drinkleilo/

https://twitter.com/drinkleilo

Time Stamps: 

Who is Sol Broady, and how did he get the idea for his relaxation beverage Leilo? [0:51]

What is kava? [2:20]

How Red Bull defined the energy drink market and what this means for a relaxation drink [8:10]

Bitter taste and difficult to produce — the hurdles of developing a kava beverage [13:01]

Getting students to test a not-always-tasty prototype and the initial steps of R&D [15:10]

Building intrinsic motivation and believing in your vision [20:38]

From horchata to a sleek 12-ounce can — how to invest in your idea and Sol’s approach to establishing yourself in an industry while on a budget. [28:00]

Learning to run with an idea and throwing out the notion that there’s a checklist of needed skills to succeed [32:55]

Mindset is the key to success, and for an entrepreneur, every single day counts [40:18]

Scaling strategies and pivoting business plans during the start of COVID-19 [45:55]

Creating honest marketing and truthful branding that draws in customers and is backed by a solid product [52:12]

Focus on your target market and get your product to those who will want it [54:50]

Don’t over promise and underdeliver — let your product do the talking [57:00]

Red Bull’s origin and building a brand, not just a beverage [1:00:10]

Scaling a brand, entering new locations, and Leilo’s future growth [1:03:12]

Forging partnerships with athletes and sports organizations [1:06:50]

Competing with few competitors — the advantage of entering the market first and the benefits of becoming the first relaxation partner [1:10:45]

Entering new markets and expanding throughout the US [1:14:40]

Sol’s advice for entrepreneurs: Be comfortable with not being perfect, and use entrepreneurship to solve the problems around you [1:18:34]

Entrepreneurship is incredibly rewarding and can be both hard and isolating. Don’t rush into things, and don’t forget to focus on your larger mission. [1:24:28]

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Lizia Santos is the founder and CEO of CityCatt, a platform that helps travelers discover authentic experiences through the help of local guides (known as catts). Lizia previously worked as a journalist and used her research skills, along with her family’s experience in the hospitality industry, to create Citycatt and build a world-wide community of influencers that are ready to help travelers explore.

Become a Catt or book a trip on https://www.citycatt.com/

Time Stamps

Who is Lizia Santos, and why did she start her travel-focused company Citycatts? [1:00]

Finding authentic, unique, and family-friendly things to do while traveling is a problem [4:10]

What are catts? Building a community of local guides for travelers [7:27]

Validating a business model and learning to pivot in order to overcome early challenges  [11:37]

Focus on solving the problem, and be open to exploring various solutions [15:00]

Finding experts, and building a good team that can cover your bases [16:23]

Seeking help, discovering available resources for startups, and joining the WIN Lab (a startup accelerator at Babson College) [20:05]

Measuring success using KPIs that matter while avoiding vanity metrics [23:52]

How to scale a company and Citycatt’s future [27:30]

Pivoting and adjusting a business focused on travel during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic [32:50]

Building company culture and adding a personal touch while scaling [36:22]

What is it like working with family members?  [39:40]

Mentoring other early-stage founders and finding resources for startups. We all have strengths to contribute, and mindset is everything [42:01]

Find a mentor who had been down your path yet is still relevant to your experience [46:03]

The magic formula for creating work-life balance — well … it probably doesn’t exists [48:42]

The Key to creating a successful startup according to Lizia? Stop spending so much time planning, and start tackling problems. [52:59]

Building community for your team is both an important and elaborate task [56:00]

Lizia’s ‘first citycatt’ may have been a family member [1:02:45]

Just for fun — Lizia’s difficult travel story: Lost in an Ohio corn field, stuck in a New York snow storm, and a crash course on Midwestern geography  [1:04:10]

Lizia’s advice for other entrepreneurs: Focus on your pain point and build your team; do not get tunnel vision focusing on one solution. Be flexible and obsess over the problem you are trying to solve. [1:05:55]

How to help Citycatt — Plan a trip with Citycatt’s platform! Or, consider becoming a catt, hiring a catt, or refering a catt. [1:10:25]

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Sabrina Noorani is the founder and CEO of ClearForMe, a SaaS (software as a service) company that helps customers learn about the ingredients that are in their cosmetic products. Before starting ClearForMe, Noorani worked as the only female derivatives trader at NYSE, and she leveraged her expertise working with data to create her company that now partners with big-name beauty brands like Ulta and Credo Beauty.  

During our interview, Sabrina shares some advice for other entrepreneurs looking to turn their ideas into an impact.

Learn more about ClearForMe at https://clearforme.com/

Time Stamps: 

Who is Sabrina Noorani, and why did she start her data-driven company ClearForMe? [0:24]

The problem with ingredient transparency in the beauty industry [1:21]

How did you validate your idea to the wider market? [5:40]

Finding ClearForMe’s first paying customer at Credo Beauty [7:49]

A mindset shift: prioritizing a goal in order to make tangible progress [9:30]

What is API, and how does ClearForMe use API? [12:22]

Where did the ingredient data come from that makes up ClearForMe’s database? [14:52]

How do you categorize a mix of ingredients like “fragrance?’ [17:20]

Data trends are useful to track and can play a role in business decisions [20:05]

ClearForMe is different because they provide the facts, and everyone should have access to information they need to make informed decisions [24:34]

How to influence company culture as a founder [26:26]

Cultivating a flat structure? [28:40]

Jumping from the finance industry into the unknown void [32:00]

Sabrina’s key to success as an entrepreneur: building confidence [34:50]

Using an accelerator program to jumpstart your idea and the importance of pitching your startup to others [35:55]

Growing ClearForMe and entering new industries [39:40]

An achievement of ClearForMe in 2021 and a goal for 2022 [41:06]

Sabrina’s advice for other entrepreneurs —  define what you want to do. Set specific goals so that you can live in the gain not the gap.  [44:48]

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Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. 

Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social: 

Instagram 

Twitter

LinkedIn

Or, for small business resources, tools, and guides visit HowtoStartanLLC.com.