Startup Stories - Mixergy

By Andrew WarnerSociety & Culture Business Education

Startup Stories - Mixergy episodes

March 17, 2017 #1423 “How I took on $100s of millions of VC-funded competitors & won”
A few years ago it seemed like every venture capitalist tried to create the “Uber of cleaning services.”
Why did so many of them fail? Why did Michael Scharf’s MyClean service continue to grow?
Catch the interview to find out.
Michael Scharf is the founder of MyClean, a full-service cleaning and janitorial 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.
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
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
35 min
March 15, 2017 #1422 Why you don’t need a million dollar idea to leave corporate life
Today we’re talking to an entrepreneur who built a business helping bloggers get more readers.
Dino Dogan is the co-founder of Triberr, which enables content creators to get more shares.
More recently he bought MadeInNYC.com, a science lab to run business projects. It’s a virtual incubator that is soon to launch. We’ll talk about all that in this interview.
Dino Dogan is the co-founder of Triberr, which enables content creators to get more shares.
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
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 7 min
March 13, 2017 #1421 Alex Blumberg, Startup Podcast, Gimlet, Chris Sacca
At one point I snuck the keywords “Alex Blumberg” & “Startup Podcast” into the title tags of my interviews. I wanted people to find my podcast when they searched for Alex’s. The guy had a top business show, so I was trying to appeal to his audience.
It worked, but it’s not my proudest move. My contact at Apple asked me to cut it out. But look, now I interviewed him. So I naturally mentioned his company, Gimlet, and managed to talk about investor, Chris Sacca, so I earned the keywords!
Plus, I sincerely love this interview so much that I hope you listen to this.
Alex Blumberg is the founder of Gimlet, an award-winning podcast company which produces the podcast Startup.
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
1 hr 1 min
March 10, 2017 #1420 The model for building a business on social media
I don’t think in 1000+ interviews I’ve seen someone use social media as well as today’s guests.
These guys built up their business using influencers. That’s what they’re good at and it’s how they bootstrapped their business.
I invited them here to talk about how they did it. Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic are the founders of HiSmile, a teeth whitening system.
Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic are the founders of HiSmile, a teeth whitening system.
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
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 6 min
March 08, 2017 #1419 How Michael Acton Smith built profitable meditation site Calm.com
I’m really proud to have today’s guest on. Partially because he has this calm sense of being I want to understand. But partially because he cofounded Calm.com and the numbers he shared with me are unbelievable.
But he also has a long history of successes. We’ll dive into those in this interview and if that’s the source of his confidence.
Michael Acton Smith is the cofounder of Calm.com which has guided meditations for sleep, anxiety, stress and other distractions.
Michael Acton Smith is the cofounder of Calm.com which has guided meditations for sleep, anxiety, stress and other distractions.
Sponsored by
Drip – Drip by Leadpages® is world-class marketing automation software. Drip gives you the power of Infusionsoft, without the confusion or clunky UI. If you’ve ever used MailChimp, you will love how Drip lets you automate much more of your marketing and easily build your sales funnel with a gorgeous visual campaign builder, Visual Workflows. Join Drip for absolutely free (for under 100 subscribers) and see why thousands of marketers are switching.
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
March 06, 2017 #1418 How Diego Saez Gil built a smart luggage company into a multi-million dollar company
Imagine you’re a venture capitalist looking at investments all day long and this guy from Argentina walks into your office and says, “I’ve got this great idea. It’s luggage.”
Luggage? Really? Well, if you continued that conversation–and didn’t run away–you’d end up with a big hit on your hands because that’s what today’s guest actually built.
Diego Saez Gil is the founder of Bluesmart, smart luggage that tracks itself, auto-locks and charges your devices. Find out how he did it in this interview.
Diego Saez Gil is the founder of Bluesmart, smart luggage that tracks itself, auto-locks and charges your devices.
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
More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
1 hr 5 min
March 03, 2017 #1417 How Sam Ovens is helping everyday people start their own consulting businesses
I’ll be honest with you. I felt guilt about an interview that I did years ago with today’s guest. This was back in, let me see here, 2013. I interviewed Sam Ovens about how he built up this consulting business and was teaching people how to do consulting.
I thought maybe I got taken for a ride. It was too good to be true. Then I started hearing people who were in his program talk about how big the program is. Then I started hearing more and more people say they were in the program.
I realized, “Actually maybe I underestimated the guy.” And the more research I did into it, the more I realized that was true. Then I went hat in hand and said, “Hey, Sam, can I interview you again on Mixergy?”
Sam Ovens is the founder of Consulting.com, it offers online training programs to help everyday people start their own consulting businesses.
Sam Ovens is the founder of Consulting.com, it offers online training programs to help everyday people start their own consulting businesses. Sam’s hosting a free webinar which shows you in detail how to start your own consulting business, click here to register for the free training.
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.
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
0 min
March 01, 2017 #1416 How Warby Parker founder built a unicorn
Today’s guest noticed a problem: no one was selling eyeglasses online.
So what did he do? He said, “There’s probably a better way. We could create our own brand, charge less, and have glasses that are cooler available to be bought online.” By doing that, he built what is considered a unicorn, one of these highly valued companies. I invited him here to talk about how he did it.
His name is Neil Blumenthal. He is the cofounder of Warby Parker. It’s a vertically integrated lifestyle brand that’s working to transform the optical industry.
Neil Blumenthal is the cofounder of Warby Parker, a vertically integrated lifestyle brand that’s working to transform the optical industry.
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
1 hr 2 min
February 27, 2017 #1415 The company behind Silicon Valley’s dirty little secret – with Mark Sears
There’s a dirty little secret in tech, in Silicon Valley, and I bought into it.
The idea is that you use an app to take a photo of a receipt and it magically gets transcribed into the expense app you’re using. It feels like a machine but it’s not. The magic is that it’s actually people who are doing the transcription.
The guest you’re meeting today is a guy who runs a company that does this stuff for other companies.
Mark Sears is the founder of CloudFactory, which provides on-demand API driven workforces to scale your business in the cloud.
Mark Sears is the founder of CloudFactory, which provides on-demand API driven workforces to scale your business in the cloud.
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 5 min
February 24, 2017 #1414 How Nick Gray created a $1M business by hacking museum tours
I hate to admit it, but I hesitated when someone suggested today’s guest. And you’ll see why when I tell you what he does.
Today’s guest is Nick Gray. He is the founder of Museum Hack, which encourages people to explore museums in a new way.
I get how that would be fun but I wasn’t sure it was really a business. But we did our research and we found that anyone who is as committed as Nick to making $1,000,000 in sales is someone we have to interview.
Nick Gray is the founder of Museum Hack, which encourages people to explore museums in a new way.
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