Ten Years In The Making

Meet Erik Huberman – serial entrepreneur, marketing whiz, and the brain behind Hawke Media—the fastest-growing marketing agency in the US, now valued at more than $150 million!

Driven to fill a much needed gap in the market, Erik's vision was to build an agency that was both accessible and (unlike most agencies) could drive real growth and tangible results for their clients.

The company offers a customizable menu of services and flexible month-to-month billing options. This approach has enabled brands of any size to access top-quality marketing services, making Hawke Media a game-changer in the industry.

In today's episode, you'll hear Erik share tips and tricks for marketing growth that can apply to any business, regardless of size.

You'll also hear him share the story of how he grew Hawke Media to more than 250 employees, which questions to ask to gauge ROI on potential marketing tools, and how he evaluates eCommerce companies to invest in for his fund, Hawke Capital.

Key Takeaways with Erik Huberman

• How Erik and Hawke Media differentiate themselves in the crowded agency space.
• Should agencies work with small, mid-sized or large companies?
• The marketing budget companies should be at before hiring agency help.
• The upsides and downsides to running an agency.
• Using month-to-month pricing to improve your product offering.
• Must-have tech for selling more on Shopify.
• The value of SMS marketing and automated flows.
• Where does Erik get his motivation from?
• The simple question to ask when evaluating a new marketing tool.
• Where the idea for Hawke Capital came from.
• How Hawke Media originally expanded into China.
• Harnessing controlled chaos to get a business from running to operating at a high level.
• What makes an agency a good acquisition candidate vs. a bad one?

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/21

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

In a world of social media, programmatic advertising and digital-first marketing, the direct mail market carries an old-school feel. But did you know that U.S. direct mail is a $50 billion market?

To dive into this lucrative-but-overlooked market, I grabbed some time with Dave Fink, the CEO and co-founder of Postie, a data and technology platform that helps clients run smart, data-driven direct mail campaigns.

In today's episode, you'll hear Dave share why direct mail is still a powerful avenue in the digital age, strategies for creating a direct mail campaign, and using direct mail to build a unique name for your brand.

Dave also shares his thoughts on accelerators and venture capital firms which he gleaned from investing in 75+ startups, including his first-hand experience with Dollar Shave Club, building effective branding for D2C businesses and the traits he's seen from the most successful companies he's invested with.

Key Takeaways with Dave Fink

• Dave's front-row seat to Dollar Shave Club's launch to 9-figure exit in 4 years.
• How Dollar Shave Club distinguished itself with an authentic brand story in the right media channels.
• The core differentiator between successful and unsuccessful businesses.
• The self-fulfilling prophecies in the accelerator world that creates business winners and losers.
• The two types of founding groups in accelerators — and which is the most successful.
• The merits of building one company vs. taking on a portfolio of companies.
• Strategies for convincing prospective employees to work for your company.
• Navigating nuanced sales cycles depending on the needs of your prospect.
• How D2C brands like Liquid Death, Dollar Shave Club and Casper made consumers want to be part of their brands.
• Prioritizing a quality business model over venture capital KPIs.
• Why Dave chose to get into direct mail in the digital age.
• Linking data with direct mail campaigns to make your brand stand out.
• Reasons for companies to consider the $50 billion direct mail space in the U.S.
• Where to start a D2C marketing playbook.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/20

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

Creating an eco-friendly product checks boxes for environmentally conscious consumers. But how do you do it in a way that doesn't compromise your product?

In today's episode, I sit down with Phoebe Yu and Kat Dey, the co-founders of Ettitude — a DTC bamboo bedding, bath and sleep essentials line that aims to become "the Tesla of bedsheets."

Phoebe and Kat share their views on being eco-friendly while also offering a product consumers love using, why bamboo is more environmentally friendly than cotton, and how joining the Founders Pledge will continue to help the environment if they ever choose to exit Ettitude.

You'll also hear tactics on using entrepreneurship as a creative outlet, how and when it makes sense to set up a B-corp and how Phoebe and Kat went from unique immigrant backgrounds to partnering to launch Ettitude.

Key Takeaways with Phoebe Yu & Kat Dey

• How Phoebe and Kat went from immigrant backgrounds to launching Ettitude.
• How entrepreneurship can serve as a creative outlet.
• Why Phoebe and Kat chose to start a business focused on bedsheets.
• How did Ettitude determine when it was time to expand their product line?
• Using customer feedback to align business strategy as a D2C company.
• The supply chain lessons that emerged from the COVID pandemic.
• The concerns around fundraising in a rocky economic climate.
• The eco-friendly data behind sourcing products from bamboo instead of cotton.
• The social and ecological dynamics of operating a B corp.
• How Ettitude envisions being the "Tesla of sheets."
• The Founders Pledge that requires companies to commit a percentage of their future exit value to help the environment.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/19

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

After growing up in Uzbekistan and playing Division 1 collegiate tennis, Lolita Petrossov had never worked a job.

So for her first gig, she co-founded JetSmarter, an on-demand private jet charter company valued at over $1 billion before its acquisition by Vista Global in 2018.

Now, Lolita is the founder and CEO of Evestar, a marketing agency that has helped more than 100 eCommerce companies scale in the past three years.

In today's episode, Lolita sits down with me to talk about her stratospheric rise to the top, along with how she and her husband used emotion and status to build JetSmarter to 10-figures.

You'll also hear Lolita discuss her favorite type of brands to work with as an agency owner, why you need to be careful when dealing with the media, and why dreamers also have to be doers.

Key Takeaways with Lolita Petrossov

• How Lolita went from growing up in Uzbekistan to founding JetSmarter as her first job.
• The value of being in the right market at the right time.
• The story behind how JetSmarter raised nearly $200M in funding.
• The value of creating virality in an app to hook users.
• What metrics indicate you might have a winning product on your hands
• The mistake JetSmarter made during its hyper-growth phase that eCommerce founders also make.
• Why it's crucial to pay attention to unit economics.
• The good and bad sides of media coverage for founders.
• How creating a product with an emotional tie to the consumer can cause founders to lose control of their company's narrative.
• How Lolita transitioned from selling JetSmarter to founding Evestar.
• What are the best types of brands to work with as an agency owner?
• What is the one message Lolita would pass along to entrepreneurs?

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/18

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

In Part two of my interview with Jonathan Cronstedt, we dive into how he built the "Kajabi Heroes" program to supercharge growth for what would eventually become a company that's valued at $2B.

In addition to step-by-step advice for building your own community to land referrals and create loyalty, you'll also hear about …

✔️Creating "North Star" business metrics based on your own goals and values. ✔️Strategies for getting in front of your must-have clients. ✔️How to scale beyond 8-figures by taking a customer-first approach.

Key Takeaways with Jonathan Cronstedt

• How do you trust yourself to make the scaling leap when it's time to "go for it?"
• The most effective sales pitch any human being can make.
• The value of having a non-monetary goal to guide your company's growth.
• How brands can use authenticity as a moat against mass commoditization.
• How building community around your brand can create separation from your competitors.
• Where do you start with building a community?
• Using Napoleon Bonaparte's logic to build customer loyalty through recognition.
• Why connection is more important than community.
• Taking the "buy or die" approach to getting in front of your ideal prospects.
• Tailoring a community experience for your ideal audience.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/17

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

With questions around product-market fit, deciding when it's time to scale, and keeping competitors at bay, the billion-dollar bullseye can often feel tiny to entrepreneurs.

Today, Jonathan Cronstedt sits down with me to explain how founders can throw darts that consistently hit the center of their target.

Jonathan is the former president of Kajabi, an e-learning software that he helped grow from $6M ARR to more than $100M in just five years.

In addition to a deep dive into product-market fit, you'll hear Jonathan's insights on accepting or rejecting outside capital, the reversal of fortunes in the tech industry, and handling existential crises as a founder.

Key Takeaways with Jonathan Cronstedt

• The "core three" must-haves of any business and how they play into product-market fit.\
• The perils of having great marketing but a poor product-market fit.
• The only aspect of product-market fit entrepreneurs may not have control over.
• Aligning your life priorities with your business priorities.
• The AI effect of killing "internet junk food" and what it means for thoughtful content producers.
• Questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not it's time to scale and accept outside capital.
• How failing to expand at the proper time can invite copycat competitors who devalue your niche.
• Building a brand presence so significant it leaves no oxygen for competitors to disrupt your growth.
• Old school vs. new school mindsets in maximizing enterprise value.
• How companies can take different paths to reach the same point of success.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/16

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

You've undoubtedly heard the term "From Rags to Riches," but today's guest has a story that will blow your mind. This might be one of the most insane "American Dream" success stories I've ever heard. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Moises Sanchez's path to success certainly wasn't easy. After leaving Mexico with a 6th-grade education, his family moved to the US (illegally) with no money and without knowing a word of English. He became a guerrilla marketing phenom in real estate by the age of 18 and eventually grinded his way to a successful multi-million dollar roofing business that brought in $50M last year.

But there's so much more to his story than that. While in the US, enjoying tremendous success in real estate, he started going down the wrong path. With outstanding warrants in the US, his parents forced him to leave the US and move back to Mexico.

This is where it starts to get crazy. Moises moved back to Mexico with $350K, met his wife and bought a pig farm. Life was great until he eventually woke up to gunfire from Narcos in Mexico. After nearly losing his life, he left Mexico to return to the US, but was arrested by the FBI and ended up in jail. Moises did his time, got released, and started a new life with his roofing business. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today's episode is a powerful story of inspiration, how true success is often found with true grit and by overcoming many impossible obstacles, and how the American dream is possible if you never give up. If Moises can do it, then nobody has an excuse.

Key Takeaways with Moises Sanchez

• How Moises got started in real estate at 18 years old and found success with guerrilla marketing.
• Why he returned to Mexico and was able to do it with $350K in his pocket.
• How Moises managed to escape from Narcos and gunfire at 9am on his pig farm.
• The lessons he learned from his 8 months in jail after returning to the US.
• How Moises' roofing company was generating 8-figure annual revenue without online advertising.
• The hail storm that changed everything in 2017 and how he deployed his team with Segways.
• What happened when Moises went all in direct-mail marketing after discovering MAXWriter and sending 10,000 letters a year.
• Tools and services that Moises uses for marketing like WooSender and GoHighLevel.
• How WooSender helped to generate 165 new appointments and $2M in sales in the first week!
• The value of laminating direct-mail marketing as it increases the likelihood of it being kept and not discarded.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/15

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

As the concept of personal branding continues to explode, many creators have the same question: Where do I start?

Today, I'm sitting down with Ari Murray, the VP of Growth at Sharma Brands and creator of Go-to-Millions at Workweek, a marketing and founder-focused newsletter with more than 25,000 subscribers.

Ari goes over all things content creation — from idea generation to evaluating quality to not letting perfection get in the way of creating strong content.

You'll also hear how Ari collects emails for her newsletter, the importance of knowing your content inside and out, and how she made her way into the media industry after dropping out of law school.

Key Takeaways with Ari Murray

• What content creators can learn from Mr. Beast.
• Prioritizing altruism over profit as a growth strategy.
• Pivoting into a new field after your initial career intentions don't align with your happiness.
• How learning on the job inspired Ari to launch the Go-to-Millions newsletter.
• How can you start a newsletter?
• Where should you set the bar for quality on content creation?
• Tips for content idea generation.
• Wrestling with the constant demand of content creation.
• The unexpected benefits that come from seizing opportunities that come across your radar.
• The dynamics of working in the same industry as your spouse.
• If you have no current personal brand, where should you start?
• Dealing with elements on your content that may not be perfect — but pushing forward anyway.
• How Ari collects emails for her newsletter.

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/14

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

After working for a marketing agency and helping many companies scale to 7 and 8-figures, Ronak Shah realized he had the blueprint to building a successful brand. So, he decided to launch a company of his own.

That company is Obvi, a collagen-focused supplement brand that he co-founded with two of his best friends, and grew to $40M in revenue in less than 4 years.

Today, we dive into Ronak's mindset, routine and daily scheduling advice for juggling the many demands of being an 8-figure founder.

You'll also hear about the value of building in public, simple strategies for impactful content creation at scale, and how to grow a beneficial network by offering everything and expecting nothing.

Key Takeaways with Ronak Shah

• Ronak's leap of faith from working at Deloitte to joining a start-up supplement brand.
• The chance moments that can change your career trajectory.
• Attracting qualified employees by building in public and being transparent with your financials.
• The lessons around disruption Ronak followed to build Obvi to a $40M company.
• Why Ronak believes in building in public.
• How to shift away from the "salary mindset" when hiring employees to be less concerned about how much you're paying.
• How can founders create a network of influential people?
• The most underrated social media KPI that most founders aren't tracking.
• The future benefit of offering no-strings-attached value to your network.
• The biggest mistake Ronak sees from people using content creation to build their businesses.
• A simple five-step format for creating multiple build-in-public videos in under two hours.
• The single most important factor to winning on social
• A powerful tactic for getting sh*t done!
• How can you vet inbound leads to prioritize the ones that will benefit you the most?
• What are some of the best overlooked D2C tech tools right now?

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/13

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1

Today, I'm talking with Jonathan Cronstedt, who took the e-learning software giant, Kajabi, from a $6M revenue business to $100M+ and a $2B valuation in just 5 years.

In this episode of Ten Years In The Making, we're talking about the realities of scaling.

When do you know it's time to grow? What are the hidden downsides? Is it always the right choice to scale?

You'll also learn:

✔️ Tactics and strategies for hiring amazingly talented people

✔️ Why building in public has outsized impacts for startup founders.

✔️The push/pull dynamics of a company's mission, vision and values — and how they can demotivate or empower employees.

… and a whole lot more!

Want the Full Show Notes?

To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit Retention.com/12

Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of Ten Years In The Making, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

Connect with Adam Robinson: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtalksemail/

Get The Podcast on:

• APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-years-in-the-making/id1656993308

• SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LPWNrljdXFv0caHvfQUIv?si=qiHzoPUdR-6TSgUJOiwyrw

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJe-176R0xRyfb9eBk80Yg?sub_confirmation=1