Startup Stories - Mixergy

By Andrew WarnerSociety & Culture Business Education

Startup Stories - Mixergy episodes

May 26, 2017 #1453 The future of chat (and interacting with your customers)
About a year ago I realized that no matter how much effort we’ve put into my email list, I could never double the response rate. We kept growing it, but people were not using email much.
So I started looking around for solutions and I started looking at bots. Bots are basically software that communicates with humans via a chat app. I came across one company that looked too good to be true. It’s called ManyChat. And I said, “I’ve got to find out who the founder is.”
And today, Mikael Yang is the founder of ManyChat. Not only does the software work, but the intelligence behind the scenes of dripping out content, tagging people, interacting with people is brilliant.
This whole space is still pretty young but it’s important to have this conversation because he’s gotten very far and because I want you to see the future of chat as a way of interacting with your customers.
Mikael Yang is the founder of ManyChat, a visual bot builder for Facebook Messenger with broadcasts, analytics, scheduled posting and many other features.
Sponsored by
Acuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
0 min
May 24, 2017 #1452 How to cut the crap and simplify your messaging
Today’s guest is the expert when it comes to creating great short videos. I’m really curious about the business behind creating those videos.
Eric Hinson is the founder of Explainify which makes animated explainer videos for businesses. He’s has an upcoming book called Diamond in a Haystack. It’s about how to cut the crap and simplify your messaging by finding your diamond in the haystack.
I think a lot of people can learn to cut the crap and just simplify their messaging from Eric. If you want to see it, he’ll give you the first couple of chapters of the book at explainify.com/mixergy.
Eric Hinson is the founder of Explainify which makes animated explainer videos for businesses.
Sponsored by
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.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
57 min
May 22, 2017 #1451 Tactics for growth from a founder with multiple businesses
Today’s guest got really into chat bots before anyone else did and understood how to use them. Recently he and I recorded an interview about how he does messaging bots, but also wanted him to come on to talk about how he built up his businesses.
Ezra Firestone is the cofounder of BOOM by Cindy Joseph. They sell organic skincare and cosmetics for women of every generation. He also has this tool that allows you to do a one-click upsell. He turned it into a plugin that anyone can use. That’s a whole other business called Zipify. They make ecommerce plugins for Shopify stores.
Finally he’s got SmartMarketer.com where he teaches everything he knows about ecommerce marketing.
Ezra Firestone is the founder of SmartMarketer.com where he teaches everything he knows about ecommerce marketing.
Sponsored by
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.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 10 min
May 19, 2017 #1450 How Latif Nanji turned roadmapping into a SaaS business – with Latif Nanji
I looked up today’s guest on Product Hunt before this interview and people were beating up on his product, beating up on him. I wasn’t really sure what to make of him.
And then our producer talked to him and found out about the business. It’s just growing and growing for a company that has got an innovative idea and in an area you never would have thought could support a product.
I want to introduce you to him and find out how he built up his company. His name is Latif Nanji. He is the founder of Roadmunk. Roadmunk helps companies create and share their products strategy and roadmaps. We’ll talk more later about what that means.
Latif Nanji is the founder of Roadmunk which helps companies create and share their products strategy and roadmaps.
Sponsored by
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.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
59 min
May 17, 2017 #1449 How does Andrew do it? His secret to getting things done
How does Andrew do it?
A busy husband and father, what system does Andrew have in place to help him be a successful entrepreneur?
Nick McDonald, the founder of 3DayMonk, turns the tables on Mixergy’s founder and asks the hard questions to discover what processes Andrew has in place that drive Mixergy’s success.
Nick Mcdonald is the founder of 3DayMonk.com which helps people who jump from idea to idea stick with their plans long enough to find success.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
53 min
May 15, 2017 #1448 The business of podcasting
I’m a longtime radio fan and I grew up listening to a guy named Adam Carolla who decided one day decided he was going to do a podcast.
Today I have his wife, Lynette Carolla, who is also the cofounder and owner of Carolla Digital, which publishes Adam Carolla’s show.
I’m interested in the business of podcasting.
Lynette Carolla is the CEO of Carolla Drinks which offers a club membership to speciality alcoholic drinks created by Adam Carolla.
Sponsored by
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.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 7 min
May 12, 2017 #1447 How Jo Overline kept SwingDev from being a one hit wonder
How does a startup founder keep his company from being a “one hit” wonder?
Five years ago I did an interview with a founder named Jo Overline who got a lot of press for an app he created called Ugly Meter. It was even featured on the Howard Stern Show. But he never wanted to be a one hit wonder.
A few weeks ago Jo emailed me and said, “We actually have a real agency now…and I’d like to come back to Mixergy to talk about how we did it.”
Today Jo Overline is the founder of SwingDev, which builds web and mobile apps for startups and early stage companies.
Jo Overline is the co-founder of SwingDev which builds web apps and mobile apps and they do everything from the design to creating scalable back ends and they specialize in working with startups and early stage companies.
Sponsored by
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.
Pipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 7 min
May 10, 2017 #1446 How a former DJ and club owner built a profitable medical software company
We’ve got weapon sales coming up in this interview. We’ve got entrepreneurial depression that nearly led to suicide. We’ve got partner issues that listeners in my audience need to know about. We’ve also got a real business with millions in sales.
The guest you’re about to meet is Saud Juman. He’s the founder of PolicyMedical which makes software that allows healthcare professionals to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks.
Saud Juman is the founder of PolicyMedical which makes software that allows healthcare professionals to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks.
Sponsored by
Acuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
58 min
May 08, 2017 #1445 How the Contently marketplace found super-growth by adding software
Today I have the story of a founder who built a marketplace, but what makes this guest so interesting is that his company added software in addition to the marketplace.
And it was the software that helped his company grow 10x.
Joe Coleman is the founder of Contently which empowers brands to produce and manage high quality content marketing programs.
Joe Coleman is the founder of Contently which empowers brands to produce and manage high quality content marketing programs.
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.
Acuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy
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 5 min
May 05, 2017 #1444 The platform doing a quarter-billion in sales that you’ve never heard of
Today’s guest says he has an ecommerce platform that did about a quarter-billion in sales and I’ve never freaking heard of it. How did I not hear about it and I’m the guy who’s deep in this stuff?
George Palmer realized there wasn’t an easy way to sell digital goods. If you want to sell physical products, you could do it through places like Amazon and others. But how do you sell a stinking PDF?
So he built a platform that would do it. SendOwl makes it easy for you to sell digital products direct to your audience from your blog, social media or anywhere you can paste a link. It’s gotten way more sophisticated than that little thing that just enables simple PDFs. We’ll talk about how the company evolved in this interview.
George Palmer is the founder of SendOwl which makes it easy to sell digital products.
Sponsored by
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.
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.
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
59 min