Startup Stories - Mixergy

By Andrew WarnerSociety & Culture Business Education

Startup Stories - Mixergy episodes

July 16, 2018 #1624 The new way of raising capital: equity crowdfunding
A while back we had a sponsor called StartEngine and I was really excited about it. The reason was because it was a new way to raise money.
But what really got my attention was the bio section of the founder. His background was fascinating.
I invited him here to talk about the revolutionary was his company is enabling entrepreneurs to raise money as well as his previous companies.
Howard Marks is the CEO and Co-Founder of StartEngine which is an equity crowdfunding platform, connecting investors with startups.
Howard Marks is the CEO and Co-Founder of StartEngine which is an equity crowdfunding platform, connecting investors with startups.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 8 min
July 13, 2018 #1623 iFart creator Joel Comm tells me I need to chill out and have more fun
Today’s guest created an app that got my attention years ago. It was called iFart. I’m not really into fart humor but the reason I downloaded it is because everyone else was freaking downloading it and I wanted to see what it was.
I tried it a couple of times and it felt inauthentic to me but I admired how this little app got to the top of the charts.
I took a look at the founder and his name was Joel Comm and this wasn’t his first success. He’s a guy who had an online game site that he sold to Yahoo. He then went on to build a bunch of different things. He was in affiliate marketing. He was in AdSense. He actually wrote a book on AdSense that was incredibly successful.
Joel Comm is the Founder and CEO of InfoMedia, a social media consulting company.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
55 min
July 11, 2018 #1622 Can the headache of outsourcing be solved?
Today’s guest runs a company called The Virtual Hub, outsourcing simplified. Here’s why outsourcing needs to be simplified. Like many of the people who I’ve interviewed, I read “The 4-hour Workweek” where Tim Ferriss talks about how to hire outsourcers. And he makes it sound like such a revolutionary concept that I had to go and use one of the companies he mentioned.
And, man, it was frustrating. It was so frustrating. They didn’t get anything done. Well, today’s guest had the same problem and said, “I’m going to make it really easy for the person who’s hiring an outsourcer to get a virtual assistant who knows their work.”
I invited her here to talk about how she did it. If you’re in the people business, you’re going to want to learn how she did it. If you’re selling entrepreneurs and you’re going to want to know how she did it.
Barbara Turley is the founder of The Virtual Hub, a virtual assistant company based in the Philippines
Sponsored by
StartEngine – With 150,000 registered investors, StartEngine is the largest equity crowdfunding site in the United States. StartEngine has helped 170+ companies raise more than $60 million in capital for their businesses on their own terms, directly from customers and fans. To find out more check out StartEngine
ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.
If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 11 min
July 09, 2018 #1621 The business behind online reputations
Today’s guest is someone who had an experience with a client and it changed his life. I’ll let him tell you what happened in this interview that led him to create a company.
Jason Dolle is the founder of Testimonial Tree, which helps businesses get positive online reviews and collect customer satisfaction surveys.
I invited him here to talk about how he did it and how he got clients. I know working with businesses can be challenging so I want to understand how he did it.
Jason Dolle is the founder of Testimonial Tree, which helps businesses get positive online reviews and collect customer satisfaction surveys.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 5 min
July 06, 2018 #1620 How a bootstrapper pivots against obsolescence
I’ve got Macs all over my office and they all come with Keynote for creating presentations FOR FREE!
And still, today’s guest decided he wanted to get into the space even though he’s be competing with one of the best software creators in the world.
Payman Taei is the founder of Visme, a visual design tool that allows users to create presentations, infographics and other visual content.
His business is going strong so I invited him here to find out how he’s competing so well with the big guys.
Payman Taei is the founder of Visme, a visual design tool that allows users to create presentations, infographics and other visual content.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 17 min
July 02, 2018 #1618 The story of how Typeform was built
I noticed something happening online a few years ago. Instead of people using the old forms that were out there, instead of embedding a form on their sites, people just went to Typeform. I started noticing it more and more and I thought it was interesting.
The forms were one line, one question at a time, very conversational and very simple. It didn’t even feel like a form. I thought it was a really interesting company.
David Okuniev is the founder of Typeform, a tool to build conversational forms, surveys, quizzes, landing pages, and more. I’m going to ask him how he did it.
David Okuniev is the founder of Typeform, a tool to build conversational forms, surveys, quizzes, landing pages, and more.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
If you need anything designed–a new web page, a new landing page, a new logo, DesignCrowd will do it for you. They ask you what you’re looking for, who you are, what your company is like. They will give you lots of options, you pick the one you like, pay for it, and they guarantee results. It’s that simple. Find out how DesignCrowd is different than the other companies and go to designcrowd.com/mixergy.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
58 min
June 29, 2018 #1617 How Skybell founder defeated his counter mind.
I am especially excited about today’s guest. The reason is that he’s a guy who admits to having depression, admits to having what I’ve called a counter mind.
But he has accomplished so much by breaking free of those limitations. I want to talk about how he did it. Andrew Thomas is the co-founder of SkyBell. SkyBell is a smart Wi-Fi enabled doorbell that allows you to answer your door from a smartphone and allows you to see who’s at your door.
There are several huge competitors in the space. I want to find out about how he did it.
Andrew Thomas is the co-founder of SkyBell, a smart Wi-Fi enabled doorbell that allows you to answer your door from a smartphone and allows you to see who’s at your door.
Sponsored by
StartEngine – With 150,000 registered investors, StartEngine is the largest equity crowdfunding site in the United States. StartEngine has helped 170+ companies raise more than $60 million in capital for their businesses on their own terms, directly from customers and fans. To find out more check out StartEngine
ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.
If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 9 min
June 27, 2018 #1616 Scott Gerber of YEC returns to Mixergy
I’m constantly worried about my own reputation, and here’s what scared me about today’s guesy. Scott Gerber sent me this sizzle reel that made him look so good.
I go, “This is a guy who’s really good at being on the news, but I don’t even fricking know his company.” I had him on for an interview. And then he contacted me at some point afterwards, and he said, “I started this new thing that’s called Young Entrepreneurs Council.”
Here’s why I invited him back. Community building is a pain in the ass. We all try to do it, and then we embarrass ourselves if we don’t get it right. And so this guy Scott says, “I got it right. I think I could turn it into like a service.” And so he did, and he built it up.
Scott Gerber is the founder of The Community Company. They build communities for media companies and global brands.
Scott Gerber is the founder of The Community Company. They build communities for media companies and global brands.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
Fireside Conference – Fireside Conference is an all-inclusive, immersive, off-the-grid and off-the-record cottage-style weekend featuring the brightest minds in our business, startup, investor and media communities. Apply to be part of the exclusive Mixergy cabin. There are very limited spots available.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
54 min
June 25, 2018 #1615 The company you’ve never heard of whose software you’re probably using
You won’t recognize the company we’re talking about in today’s interview but you will recognize many of the apps that use their software to get more insight on their users.
Today’s guest is Gil Dudkiewicz. Gil is the founder of StartApp which builds solutions for app developers to help them monetize their apps.
Gil Dudkiewicz is the founder of StartApp which builds solutions for app developers to help them monetize their apps.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.
If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr
June 22, 2018 #1614 Case Study: A business idea that could only exist in the chat space
I’ve been looking for a big success in the chat space to bring on Mixergy. I asked Nir Eyal about it and he said, “What about Swelly?”
Nir introduced me to the founder and he agreed to do an interview.
Today’s guest came up with an idea that couldn’t exist outside of chat. Peter Buchroithner is the founder of Swelly, which allows users to get the opinions of their friends.
I want to find out how he did it, what’s working in chat, and what’s not.
Peter Buchroithner is the founder of Swelly, which allows users to get the opinions of their friends.
Sponsored by
Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.
Fireside Conference – Fireside Conference is an all-inclusive, immersive, off-the-grid and off-the-record cottage-style weekend featuring the brightest minds in our business, startup, investor and media communities. Apply to be part of the exclusive Mixergy cabin. There are very limited spots available.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
59 min