Startup Stories - Mixergy

Joining me is an entrepreneur who recognized the problem that advertising kind of sucks online. People have ad blockers because ads are distracting and aren’t usually helpful. Publishers aren’t in love with ads because they just pollute the site and they don’t add much value. Today’s guest stepped in and said, “You know what? What if we don’t just run banner ads? What if we offer a quiz or a poll that gets people more engaged?” That’s the idea that worked for him. And after failing with a previous idea, this business is actually taking off really fast. I invited him here to talk about how he did it. Zack Dugow is the founder of Insticator, which increases revenue and engagement for publishers. Zack Dugow is the founder of Insticator, which increases revenue and engagement for publishers. Sponsored byHostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. 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. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Joining me is a repeat guest. Bryan Kreuzberger came on a few years ago to talk about how he was helping salespeople send out email and get responses. And his approach was so good. His simple approach for getting an email to the CEO, and then having him forward it down to the right person has been phenomenal for me. He’s made a transition though. He went from teaching people how to do this to both teaching and doing it as a service. I’m fascinated by that transition because I’m noticing that more and more companies are making the switch. I want to learn from it and I want to feature that here on Mixergy. Bryan Kreuzberger is the founder of Breakthrough Email, an outbound agency. Sponsored byHostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. 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. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Joining me today is an entrepreneur who says he went from rags to riches. Unfortunately, he went right back to rags in a really bad situation that helped him lose what he says is over $100 million. But through hard work, through patience, and through the belief of people around him the guy was able to get right back up to the top. David Meltzer is co-founder of Sports1Marketing, a global sports and entertainment marketing agency. We’ll talk about what that means and what his connection is to events like the Super Bowl. He is also the author of multiple books, including the latest which is called “Game-Time Decision Making: High-Scoring Decision Making Strategies from the Biggest Names in Sports.” David Meltzer is co-founder of Sports1Marketing, a global sports and entertainment marketing agency. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today I have an Australian founder which is usually a challenge because they are in a whole other time zone from my office in SF. But as part of my marathon series, I’m making these interviews happen. Dylan Baskind is the founder of Qwilr, which allows people to create beautiful proposals, sales and marketing documentation as web pages. We’re going to find out how well this business is doing and find out a little bit about Australian culture in this interview. Dylan Baskind is the founder of Qwilr, which allows people to create beautiful proposals, sales and marketing documentation as web pages. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

As an entrepreneur launching a company, getting a website or mobile app developed can be painful and out of reach. How do you get things done on a limited budget? Samuel Morhaim is Founder and CEO of Vantage IO which creates web/mobile applications, IoT solutions, voice skills and data analytics solutions in addition to consulting and advisory services. Samuel Morhaim saw the pain point of entrepreneurs needing development tools and launched Vantage IO to help deliver the software that entrepreneurs need. Samuel Morhaim is Founder and CEO of Vantage IO which creates web/mobile applications, IoT solutions, voice skills and data analytics solutions in addition to consulting and advisory services. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Before I was doing interviews, I was doing live events. I thought the best way for entrepreneurs to learn from each other is to come out to a live event to meet other entrepreneurs. The problem was that I had was really interesting people come and I wouldn’t know how to show people this. I took a bunch of pictures, but looking at a bunch of strangers wasn’t captivating enough. And somehow I discovered Animoto. Jason Hsiao is the founder of Animoto, an online video maker that makes it easy for small businesses to create professional quality video. Jason Hsiao is the founder of Animoto, an online video maker that makes it easy for small businesses to create professional quality video. Sponsored byToptal – 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. Trainual – Trainual is a SaaS that helps businesses automate their onboarding and training by documenting every process, policy, and procedure in one simple, searchable, teachable system. Trainual is on a mission to make small business easier by automating training manuals for busy companies around the world. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest runs one of many companies that I think are not just changing my life, but changing the lives of many people. I remember when I first started to see electric scooters show up in San Francisco. It made so much more sense than waiting for a car to come pick you up. We’re living in a city with hardly any rain, hardly any terrible weather. And suddenly these electric scooters showed up all over the city. Today’s guest is the creator of one of the first scooters that I ever saw here in San Francisco. Euwyn Poon is the co-founder of Spin, a stationless electric scooter sharing company. Euwyn Poon is the co-founder of Spin, a stationless electric scooter sharing company. Sponsored bytrouble 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. 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. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

As part of my marathon series I want to get to know entrepreneurs and talk about entrepreneurship in different parts of the world. Today I’m in Sydney, Australia with Hana-Lia Krawchuk. Hana-Lia is the founder of Love To Dream, which makes swaddles & baby sleeping bags for any season. It’s a phenomenal business that has spawned other products like SleepSack, which I’m a big believer in. We’re going to find out about how she built up this business. Hana-Lia Krawchuk is the founder of Love To Dream, which makes swaddles & baby sleeping bags for any season. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Joel Hooks who created a site called Egghead which offered developer video training. And he grew it $250,000 a month in revenue, which is substantial. One of the things he told me during the interview was that he learned how to do it by joining this course called Stacking the Bricks. Today I have the founder of that program. Alex Hillman is founder of Stacking the Bricks which helps people make the shift from service businesses into products that they can sell over and over. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

My goal with this interview is to understand how today’s guest has grown his business through his phenomenal marketing. He’s very understated about it, which is good because I want this type of approach for my business. I want to grow through good marketing that I could feel proud of and that doesn’t overwhelm the product. I want marketing that actually enhances the reputation of the product. My guest today is Dave Rogenmoser, the co-founder of Proof, a SaaS that helps build social proof and increase conversion rates by displaying recent customer activity on your website. Dave Rogenmoser is the co-founder of Proof, a SaaS that helps build social proof and increase conversion rates by displaying recent customer activity on your website. Sponsored byToptal – 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. 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. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Nathan Lustig is the co-founder of Magma Partners, an early-stage investment firm that supports the best Latin American entrepreneurs to launch and scale in the US. Nathan literally wrote the book on what it’s like to do business in different parts of Latin America. It’s called “Crossing Borders: A Venture Capitalist’s Guide to Doing Business in Latin America.” I wish I had read it before I flew to Mexico City to do my first set of interviews because he really explains how the world south of the American border operates when it comes to startups and business. Nathan Lustig is the co-founder of Magma Partners, an early-stage investment firm that supports the best Latin American entrepreneurs to launch and scale in the US. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

How do you put systems in place when you are used to doing everything yourself? Jane Lu is the Founder of Showpo which is an online fashion company based in Sydney Australia. Jane Lu started Showpo doing everything herself back in 2010. Nine years later she now has a team of 150 people and is making $60M a year in revenue. Jane Lu is the Founder of Showpo which is an online fashion company based in Sydney Australia. Sponsored byToptal – 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. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest has come full circle from having me on his podcast to now running the annual Podcast Movement conference. Dan Franks is Co-Founder and President of Podcast Movement which is the worlds’ largest and longest running podcast conference. I find out from Dan how the conference’s growth has exploded over the years and what we can expect from this year’s conference. Dan Franks is Co-Founder and President of Podcast Movement which is the worlds’ largest and longest running  podcast conference.   Sponsored byHostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. The James Altucher Show – James Altucher has started and ran more than 20 companies and is currently an investor in and advisor to over 30, but at one point, James lost everything. In a matter of months, his account drained from $15 million to $143. Depressed and on the floor, James realized the only way to be truly successful and fulfilled is to “choose yourself.” Now, James Altucher is a bestselling author, successful entrepreneur, angel investor, chess master, & host of The James Altucher Show podcast. Text ANDREW to 50445 to receive James Altucher’s free Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

What do you do when you’ve sold the company that you’ve poured your blood, sweat and tears into? Launch another company, of course. Sean Byrnes is the CEO & Co-Founder of Outlier.ai which delivers automated business analysis for some of the largest consumer businesses in the world. Sean built Flurry into a successful analytics platform for mobile apps and sold it to Yahoo in 2014. He then launched Outlier.ai. Sean Byrnes is the CEO & Co-Founder of Outlier which delivers automated business analysis for some of the largest consumer businesses in the world. Sponsored byToptal – 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. Ahrefs Ahrefs is a full-suite SEO toolset that helps you grow your search traffic, research your competitors and monitor your niche – powered by the best and most complete data in the industry. Sign up for our paid trial at $7 for 7 days. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

After launching Carzy Egg, KISSMetrics & other software companies, Neil Patel now says it’s too easy to create software. That means software makers can’t charge much. Listen to why his new service business, Neil Patel Digital, is doing so well. You’ll also hear if he really loves his wife, why KISSMetrics closed, why he’s copying paid software and giving it for free, why he had a roommate, and more. Neil Patel is a Co-Founder of Neil Patel Digital which offers digital marketing services.   Sponsored byToptal – 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. 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. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint