Startup Stories - Mixergy

Today I have a founder who not only is in physical products, she manufactures physical products. Suuchi Ramesh is founder of Suuchi, a technology company that designs and manufactures clothing for fortune 1000 brands and emerging labels. I want to find out how she bootstrapped and pivoted it to find where the revenue was for this business. Suuchi Ramesh is founder of Suuchi, a technology company that designs and manufactures clothing for fortune 1000 brands and emerging labels. 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

Joining me is a founder who has been in the security space for years. He launched and sold one company. He launched and took another company public. Now he wants people to learn from his experiences and he’s investing in other entrepreneurs. I want to find out specifically how he tool a company public. Ron Gula is the founder of Tenable, tech vulnerability management company. Ron Gula is the founder of Tenable, tech vulnerability management company. 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 is Natalie Nagele. EIGHT years ago, her husband was on Mixergy to talk about this little company called Wildbit. At the time, they had just launched Postmark and it was doing over $1M in sales. I want to see where they are now after nearly 10 years of bootstrapping. Natalie Nagele is the co-Founder of Wildbit, a software company that builds web apps to help software developers collaborate better. Natalie Nagele is the co-Founder of Wildbit, a software company that builds web apps to help software developers collaborate better. 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

Most people still don’t know what affiliate marketing is. Well today’s guest understood it so well that he created a business that would allow anyone to start an affiliate program. Greg Shepard is the founder of AffiliateTraction (renamed Pepperjam) which is a multinational affiliate marketing agency and was acquired by eBay. I want to find out why he thought of himself as a failure and why he actually might have been one for a while. Greg Shepard is the founder of AffiliateTraction (renamed Pepperjam) which is a multinational affiliate marketing agency and was acquired by eBay. Sponsored byActiveCampaign – 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. 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

Greatist was in the news because it was just sold to Healthline. You can read about the acquisition here. And here’s what Derek said about the sale on Facebook. We’re reposting this older interview to show you how Derek grew a WordPress site to 1M visitors in this origin story. Derek Flanzraich is the founder of Greatist which is a health and media startup dedicated to inspiring and informing the world to make one healthier choice per week. Derek Flanzraich is the founder of Greatist which is a health and media startup dedicated to inspiring and informing the world to make one healthier choice per week. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

If you’ve been listening to me for a while, you know that I’m fascinated by chat bots. When you’re creating chat bots, you want to see the flow of messages—which is hard to do without actually creating a chat bot and testing it. Well today’s guest created a company that allows someone to create a mockup of the chat experience before users see it. Obaid Ahmed is the founder of Botmock which lets you create conversation flows and interactive prototypes from a simple drag and drop editor. Obaid Ahmed is the founder of Botmock which lets you create conversation flows and interactive prototypes from a simple drag and drop editor. 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’m interviewing Jeff Banek about how he built a consulting company based on what he learned from Russell Brunson. Jeff is so into ClickFunnels that he has TWO tattoos about it. In this interview you’ll hear about the rough situation he was able to pull himself out of by creating funnels for other people. Jeff Banek is a clickfunnel guru and founder of FunnelDoc, a consulting company that builds funnels, bots and emails that lead to sales. Jeff Banek is a clickfunnel guru and founder of FunnelDoc, a consulting company that builds funnels, bots and emails that lead to sales. 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’m bringing you for the first time EVER a LIVE Mixergy interview. Sahil Lavingia, who I’ve interviewed in the past, posted on Twitter recently about his revenue for Gumroad. I thought his business was dead! Turned out it wasn’t dead. Gumroad is doing well but I want to understand what happened when he had to lay off his entire team and turn things around. Sahil is the Founder of Gumroad which is a simple ecommerce and audience-building software. Sahil Lavingia is the Founder of Gumroad which is a simple ecommerce and audience-building software. 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

Nathan Latka is the founder of Heyo, which creates Sweepstakes, Contests, and Campaign apps that publish to Mobile, Facebook, and anywhere on the web. He sold that company and we’ll find out for how much. He went on to start a podcast but that’s not all. He’s taken all the data from his business podcast and created a database. I want to find out how he’s turned a podcast into a business. Nathan Latka is the founder of Heyo, which creates Sweepstakes, Contests, and Campaign apps that publish to Mobile, Facebook, and anywhere on the web. Currently, he’s the founder of Get Latka, an online database that other companies pay to access. Sponsored byJustReachOut – JustReachOut is a PR tool that makes executing your PR strategy much easier. The platform features list building, outreach templates, email pitch analytics, and a comprehensive aggregate listing of live press opportunities. We provide dedicated coaching and proven research methods and outreach tactics tested by more than 5,000 users. We also have managed plans for those looking to outsource the execution. Our aim is to ensure your story is making it to the right journalists. 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

Today’s guest made a lot of mistakes with a lot of different companies he started. But he learned A LOT. And luckily for me and my audience, he’s willing to be open about all of it. Aaron Foss is the creator of Nomorobo which stops annoying robocalls from telemarketers. Aaron Foss is the creator of Nomorobo which stops annoying robocalls from telemarketers. 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

I had today’s guest on the podcast back in 2011. He appeared with his cofounder and they both appeared so happy. I was skeptical about the business but in the last 7 years it has really taken off. Well, today Travis Rosser is back but without his cofounder. I want to find out why. Travis is the co-founder of Kajabi which is an all-in-one online membership and course platform. Travis Rosser is the co-founder of Kajabi which is an all-in-one online membership and course platform. 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

From time to time I want to bring someone on who’s been working in the Mixergy inner circle. I want to show the audience how I built my company. Rachel Kersten is someone I met at an event and since then she’s been helping me launch products, charge people and really grow. One of the things she taught me is how to run a company-wide meeting. Her consulting company is Quantifying, where she helps entrepreneurs launch products and scale their businesses. Rachel Kersten is the founder of Quantifying, which helps entrepreneurs launch products and scale their businesses. 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

From the outside it looks like today’s guest has had a string of successes. I want to find out if that’s true from the inside. Sachin Rekhi is the founder of Notejoy, a collaborative notes app for teams. We’re going to hear about the CRM he built which was acquired by LinkedIn and his new company, Notejoy. I want to know why he got into the same space as Evernote. Sachin Rekhi is the founder of Notejoy, a collaborative notes app for teams. 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. JustReachOut – JustReachOut is a PR tool that makes executing your PR strategy much easier. The platform features list building, outreach templates, email pitch analytics, and a comprehensive aggregate listing of live press opportunities. We provide dedicated coaching and proven research methods and outreach tactics tested by more than 5,000 users. We also have managed plans for those looking to outsource the execution. Our aim is to ensure your story is making it to the right journalists. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Sometimes entrepreneurs feel that if they take a real job they are failing their true self. I think that’s bullshit. Joining me today is an entrepreneur who worked at Amazon and Netflix. He solved big problems for those companies. He took that experience and started a company to solve the same problems for companies that weren’t as big as Amazon and Netflix. Kolton Andrus is the co-founder of Gremlin, an on-call Chaos Engineering software platform. We’ll talk about what that means in this interview. Kolton Andrus is the co-founder of Gremlin, an on-call Chaos Engineering software platform. 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

I got the chance to interview Russell Brunson live a while back. I can’t say enough about how much I love about our conversation. Feel free to fast-forward my long intro and get right into it. Russell Brunson is the founder of ClickFunnels which provides you a way to market, sell and deliver your products online. Russell Brunson is the founder of ClickFunnels which provides you a way to market, sell and deliver your products online. 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