This habit costs more than you think

I'm (finally) restarting the show. Tune in to discover what's changing...

The Effective Founder isn't going anywhere, but I am making some changes to the show next year. Tune in and discover what's next for the pod...

Today, I’m talking with , a Vice President of SBA lending at , where he specializes in goodwill transactions, which are especially relevant to internet businesses. Jordan has been in banking for 18 years and is well-known in the SBA industry for his public speaking, and that’s actually where I first came across him. Jordan co-hosted a great webinar with FE International (a business broker that specializes in mid-market SaaS, e-commerce, and content businesses) on how to use the SBA lending program to buy a business. That presentation was a crash course on the ins and outs of SBA loans, so if you’re at all interested in this subject, go check that out. I’ll link to it in the show notes. In our chat today, Jordan and I are going to build on that presentation and walk through more of the details on what the loan application and approval process looks like.

Today, I’m talking with , the author of , and the Executive Partner at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), the company of ethical hackers famous for hacking cars, medical devices, and password managers. Ted has helped hundreds of companies fix tens of thousands of security vulnerabilities, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, and more. In our chat, we’re going to talk about the security risks SaaS founders need to be aware of and how to protect their applications.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-founder and CEO , an online marketplace that connects homeowners with Local lawn care professionals. Before starting GreenPal, Bryan founded Peachtree Inc. one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee growing it to over $10 million a year in annual revenue before it was acquired in 2013. In our chat, we dive into how he’s grown GreenPal to more than 100,000 active users as a self-funded company over the last 6 years, everything from their successes to their failures and how these lessons can make you a better founder.

Today, I’m talking with , the Founder and CEO at , an online community and content provider for daily fantasy sports. I always enjoy talking with other founders in the industry, especially people like Brandon who take unconventional approaches to building their businesses. Gup’s Corner has thrived in a crowded market by truly putting members first and building a strong community of subscribers.  This is no easy task which is why I’m excited to have Brandon on today to share how he and his team have pulled it off.

Today, I’m talking with , the Co-Founder and CEO of , where he and his team are modernizing the barbershop experience. Before we jump into the episode, I’ve just got a quick plug for a great project I wanted to mention. Last year, Rob Walling and the MicroConf team launched the 1st annual State of Independent SaaS to give our community of more data so we can make better decisions as we grow our company. The first report was eye opening, to say the least. As of yesterday, October 6th, the survey for the 2nd annual State of Independent SaaS is live at and I just finished filling it out myself. It takes less than 10 minutes, it’s all anonymized, and your responses will help make this year’s report even more valuable. So take a few minutes to head over to and fill out the survey. Now let’s jump back into today’s episode. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, barbershops across the country were closed practically overnight. But rather than sit on the sidelines, Obi and his team adapted and actually grew their business during this challenging time. In our chat, Obi shares how theCut managed to grow in an industry struggling to stay afloat and how he’s navigated the new challenges of managing an ever-expanding team.

Today, I’m talking with , the founder of where he helps startups by matching them with tried & trusted tech teams from Eastern Europe. Offshoring is something a lot of founders in our world turn to because you can get great talent at affordable rates, but it’s also caused a ton of horror stories. At SaberSim, our team has all been based in US and Canada, but it’s getting more and more expensive to do that so we’re looking at all of our options, including offshoring. Being right in the middle of this made it seem like a great time to have Victor on the show. In our chat today, Victor walks through his unique approach to offshoring, how he helps companies avoid the all too common mistakes, and how you can apply the same lessons in your business.

Today, I’m talking with , the Founder and CEO of , where he and his team help founders, investors, and executives install the habits, systems, and processes necessary to reach the next level in their business. Chris is also one of the world’s top online poker players and uses the same frameworks that propelled him to the top of the game to help others achieve world-class performance in their own fields. In our chat, we dig into what those frameworks are and how you can apply them in your business. Chris is one of the most thoughtful and deliberate people I’ve met and the lessons he shares today are ones you don’t want to miss.