The Knowledge Shop

The Knowledge Shop

By Tori HansonBusinessEntrepreneurship
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The Knowledge Shop episodes

  • 51. Startup Community and marketing tactics.

    51. Startup Community and marketing tactics.

    • Coffee meetups - a success
    • Too many people, now need to scale back a bit, so more intimate.
    • Customer outreach / growth - sign up tactics for happy hours
    • Asking for help - don’t feel guilty


      • 9 min
    • 50. Being brave as a founder (when most of us aren't). Building in public

      Episode 50 - Nov 3, 2022

      Founders come in all shapes and sizes! You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room.

      Not all founders have to have a crazy ego, and OTT confidence.

      It takes all sorts, and yet the quieter / less confident ones have traditionally been overlooked.

      “Brave founder stories”

      • The world doesn’t end if you do something against a societal norm.
      • Can you be a little braver today?
      • Learn from others around you who are - it will rub off.

        • This happened in real life....

        1. Remember - the person who ran out of a conversation mid sentence to chase down a VC
        2. Remember - the person who ignored the rules, and used all their connections to get into that party and the accelerator.


          3. Need more proof - that many people struggle with this too….

          Twitter thread by lolita Taub.

          “How might risk averse founders, get more comfortable with taking big bets”

          https://twitter.com/lolitataub/status/1586790538618937344


          Building in Public:

          • Tell people what you are doing!!!
          • They will come to you (I literally said about an event, and 10 people came to talk to me).


            • Come meet other founders....

            Come to my next founders coffee: Small group Wednesday 3pm nr Grand Central.

            https://lu.ma/lca9kqhc


            And finally - I am building my team 😁

            15 min
          • 49. Community and networking for startup building.

            Good energy this week, from lots of other people!

            Hold me to it! 5 Events by the end of the year. If i havent, something has gone horribly wrong!

            Massive shout outs to:

            • Emily Chertow who runs a journalling startup. Perfect if you / your company need time for quiet reflection. so make sure to check out her sessions.
            • Antler - you know who they are by now. The early stage VC, and who co-shosted a happy hour last night and kindly invited Knowledge Shop founders to come.
            • Slope - the very cool design agency who hosted the event with Antler. The brands they have developed look amazing!

              • Events

              Free for coffee on Wednesday? Come join the fun, in this small group founders coffee chat and workshop. (its my next event).


              All The Knowledge Shop things its - https://linktr.ee/theknowledgeshop

              10 min
            • 48. Hiring freelancers and making the asks!

              Make the ask…..

              If you don’t ask people for what you want, how will they know, and how can they help you???


              So, here's my ask....

              Please share these episodes with a friend:

              https://anchor.fm/theknowledgeshop

              Check out Slack, Whatsapp, newsletter:

              https://linktr.ee/theknowledgeshop

              Thanks Jay Dee for Linkedin Sales Navigator help. Check him out if you are looking for some sales help -https://www.faultlinesales.com/


              Insights from today’s Episode

              Victor Hunt, astorian.com - B2B marketplace for building owners to connect with trusted and reliable contractors

              When talking about early revenue.

              “It doesn’t matter if your product is free, if its no good, people won’t use it, and if it is good - people will pay for it”.

              When grabbing attention

              “In Ancient Egypt, they used hieroglyphics, today we use emoji’s - humans are very visual creatures”.

              When communicating ideas

              “An ounce of explanation, will save a pound of clarification”

              When finding your first customers

              “Use all the connections and shortcuts you have. Find your wedge into distribution”.


              Hiring on Upwork / Fiverr

              Look for…

              - Competence

              - Reliability

              - Confidence - do the things without instruction / micromanagement

              Test this by giving them a small scope project, that is a good representation of what you are looking to do (eg 1 or 2 hours).

              Run a competition and request entries. Pay for the one you like most.

              18 min
            • 47. NYC Tech Week (part two) - learnings, pivots and connecting

              In this episode I talk about….

              1. Elevator pitch adaptation on the fly
              2. Energy of others
              3. Tips to help you network effectively
              4. Loads of tools / folks to check out.

                5. Check out…

                1. NYC Tech Week - nyctechweek.xyz
                2. Day One - joindayone.com
                3. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures - Charlie O’Donnell - https://www.brooklynbridge.vc/
                4. The Fund - Jenny Fielding - https://thefund.vc/
                5. Founders Friday - https://foundersfridaynyc.com/
                6. Startup Leadership Programme (SLP) - slp-nyc.com
                  7. 12 min
                7. 46. NYC Tech Week | Momentum (or lack of) and small startup wins

                  I'm back after a few weeks travelling!

                  Things to know in this episode...

                  • When you have lost energy / momentum - surround yourself with folks who have it.
                  • Just move one step in front of you at a time
                  • Small wins really help
                  • Really looking forward to NY tech week - https://nyctechweek.xyz/
                  • Need to delegate stuff (ie need to find people to delegate work too)! - https://iworker.co/ (referral by some fellow founders)
                  • I got accepted into the Luminary / SVB Fellowship 😁 - https://www.weareluminary.com/home
                  • Sign up for the knowledge shop and raise your hand in joining or hosting an event - https://tally.so/r/mKYy87
                  • Off to hear Leslie Borrell pitch (a TKS community member) Carefully (her app for making it possible to share childcare amongst friends) - https://carefullyapp.com/ (Sorry Leslie for getting the name wrong when i was talking - but you are amazing!!)


                    • 13 min
                  • 45 - Bye Bye Queenie. Scary startup things, and in-person magic strikes again

                    Many risks this week - but so glad i took them

                    1. Interviewed with Antler for their fall residency programme
                    2. Was on an entrepreneurship panel for my Alma Mater - Durham university
                    3. Pitched to a producer for Bloomberg TV

                      4. Should we use Knowledge Shop as a Verb?

                      The importance of getting ahead of opportunities and sponsorship and third-party opportunities?

                      Met fellow founders in the real world, and great brainstorming / ideation.

                      Thanks Kylie Robertson of Robertson Solutions - marketing and PR powerhouse, who loves launching / growing startups in the tech and travel space.

                      14 min
                    4. 44. Payment flows (new love of Stripe), Happy hours and Founders

                      Happy Hour: people are paying 😁. 50% signed up in last 36 hours. AND people helped. Gorgeous videos and pics taken by attendees

                      - First sponsorship request whoop whoop.

                      Antler Application - I applied for their 6 week accelerator, and interviewing next week - Apply here if interested.

                      I have direction! I know how to answer the Q - “what do you need help with”? Convo's with marketplace founders. Venues to host sessions.

                      Website Development

                      OMG i am in love with Stripe, and i havent even made a transaction yet! Their customer service is second to none.

                      - Claiming credits. Find them. Look for those within founder communities eg Founderscard, Startups.com

                      - Many many convo’s about payment flows.

                      - California event i mentioned last episode isn't  happening - but regardless, was a great push to get me going.

                      Durham University (UK) event - I'm speaking on a panel in NYC about entrepreneurship. Want to come?

                      21 min
                    5. 43 - Breaking digital ground. How to get unstuck as a founder

                      I have a developer, and today they started work on my website!!!

                      I know this is a tiny thing to many (to me previously it would have been too), but to get here was a very long journey fighting many inner battles!

                      So excited to be able to celebrate this, and can't wait to share with you what it looks like.

                      Join the Knowledge Shop waitlist here - https://waitlist.theknowledge.shop/


                      Getting Unstuck....

                      1. Talk to people. Other founders. Listen to their challenges, and give back. Dont languish and internalise things.

                      2. Hear other people's success stories. Everyone will have a unique story, and have trodden their own unique path. There is no such thing as the perfect route. Fundraising doesnt have to be A through Z. It can be A straight to Z. LEap frogging everything else.

                      So the moral of the story, is to surround yourself with other people - thats where the magic happens!


                      Join the Knowledge Shop waitlist here - https://waitlist.theknowledge.shop/


                      12 min
                    6. 42 - YC Startup School Pitch, Confidence from watching others, Incorporating & insights from The Mom Test

                      This is a meaty episode - one where i have had a mega week - and actually shipped stuff! Because #deadlines 😉

                      So, what do we have for you?

                      1. YC's Startup School ended. And they had a mini demo day - so you can hear my 60 second pitch.
                      2. I made a subdomain - clearly not an expert, but that was satisfying. So sign up for my waitlist, if you are fed up of working from home, talking to your plant! (or cat, dog, child, wall.....) or sat i silence next to a stranger.
                      3. Customer acquisition - thank you to Rob Fitzpatrick of Mom Test fame! Do not average out user insights, find the ones who LOVE what you are doing, and find more of them. I break down what i know, and ideas to do just that for the knowledge shop
                      4. Incorporating - so many mixed messages, but to help me feel like i have a "real" business, and to minimise risk. I am going to incorporate. Recommendations for Atlas, by Stripe and Angel List Stack.

                        5. May have a week off next week - as i am in Espana, but will record if i can.

                        See you soon fab founder friends.

                        And PLEASE sign up for the knowledge shop's waitlist, if you want to cowork with other founders in person.



                        16 min

                      About The Knowledge Shop

                      From the publisher's feed

                      A podcast following my journey launching and building a startup - the highs, lows and the many many challenges on the way.