Startup Stories - Mixergy

Joining me today is a guest who said before we started the interview: “Push my buttons.” He doesn’t want a weak interview. Karn Saroya is the co-Founder of Cover, a nationally licensed insurance brokerage that offers coverage for just about anything you can capture on camera. You’ll hear us get right into it in this interview. Karn Saroya is the co-Founder of Cover, a nationally licensed insurance brokerage that offers coverage for just about anything you can capture on camera. 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 today is a guy who had ambitions of getting into Finance. But he couldn’t do it because he couldn’t get hired. He applied at hedge funds and went to interviews in New York but couldn’t compete with the other Ivy League resumes. So he went back home and what did he do? He started buying and selling on Ebay. Today Brian Burke is the founder of SellYourMac which repurposes and recycles used Apple products. We’ll find out if there’s any money in this business and if the people who turned him down in New York were right. Brian Burke is the founder of SellYourMac which repurposes and recycles used Apple products. 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 my today is an entrepreneur who comes up with ideas just to have a business that supports the vision he has for his life. He’s joining today’s interview from Mexico. I want to find out what happens when a founder prioritizes his or her life and schedule over other business interests. Kean Graham is the founder of MonetizeMore which increases ad revenue for large publishers by implementing an auction where many ad networks bid to run ads on their sites. Kean Graham is the founder of MonetizeMore which increases ad revenue for large publishers by implementing an auction where many ad networks bid to run ads on their sites. 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

I’ve been building websites forever and it seems fairly easy to do. Today’s guest disagrees. He realized there is a niche out there who want to get into affiliates and need a website fast. He came up with the business idea to create sites that are beautiful, perform well, and rank highly. Dominic Wells is the founder of Human Proof Designs which creates niche websites for people who want to get started in Affiliate Marketing. Dominic Wells is the founder of Human Proof Designs which creates niche websites for people who want to get started in Affiliate Marketing. 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 had a goal for growing his company to $50M in revenue. In the beginning no investor believed in him enough to back him. So he earned the money he needed by doing consulting work. Did he hit his goal? We’ll find out. Larry Kim is the founder of WordStream is software for search engine and social media advertising. Larry Kim is the founder of WordStream, a software for search engine and social media advertising. 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

Today’s guest is someone you might have heard me interview before. Dmitry Dragilev is the founder of Justreachout.io, a software platform that helps entrepreneurs find the right people to pitch by searching keywords, competitors, niches, publications and more. He’s such a good marketer that he made many pitches to get back on the podcast. And it worked! He made it impossible for me to say ‘no’. I want to talk about how he does it. Dmitry Dragilev is the founder of Justreachout.io, a software platform that helps entrepreneurs find the right people to pitch by searching keywords, competitors, niches, publications and more. 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 Florin Cornianu. He is the founder of 123FormBuilder which allows users to create any type of online forms and manage workflows. I’ve interviewed 100 founders who have created similar software tools. I want to find out how the heck this company is doing so well. Florin Cornianu is the founder of 123FormBuilder which allows users to create any type of online forms and manage workflows. 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 the former CTO of HomeAway. He left that company and was going to take a year off but he could barely make it 10 months before jumping back to work. Ross Buhrdorf is now the founder of ZenBusiness, a corporate entity creation and management company. I invited him here to talk about that business, but also HomeAway. Ross Buhrdorf is the founder of ZenBusiness, a corporate entity creation and management company. 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

When someone first suggested today’s guest to me I said no way. But then I realized the person I was talking to owned a payment processing company and he knew how much money this guy was making. He has a big following on YouTube and Instagram teaching people how to sell on Amazon but that’s just a side project for him. He has actually created a real business selling on Amazon. Larry Lubarsky makes six figures selling on Amazon and has a YouTube channel that teaches others how to sell on Amazon. Larry Lubarsky makes six figures selling on Amazon and has a YouTube channel that teaches others how to sell on Amazon. 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

Today’s guest is an entrepreneur who had an idea for a gaming business. She and her now husband created it and it didn’t work out. If you’re building a business and you listen to my interviews, you know this is always a possibility. But what she did was pivot from B2C to B2B. And it worked! Jessica Rovello is the co-founder of Arkadium, which provides interactive content to the world’s best known brands and publishers. Jessica Rovello is the co-founder of Arkadium, which provides interactive content to the world’s best known brands and publishers. 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’ve noticed a trend in among tech entrepreneurs who are obsessed with tracking. They track what they eat. Well, today I have the founder of an app that many of them are using to do it. Frankly, when I heard about LoseIt, I thought it was like Weight Watchers. It’s not. Charles Teague is the founder of Lose It, a weight loss app. I invited him here to find out how he built it and how it became a success in such a crowded space. Charles Teague is the founder of Lose It, a weight loss app. 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 today is a founder who saw mobile happening back when most people didn’t see how far it could go. But it was painful for him to see into the future. Arish Ali is the co-founder of Skava, a versatile e-commerce platform for retailers. He launched it, built it up into a success, sold it and we’ll find out what happened next in this interview. Arish Ali is the co-founder of Skava, a versatile e-commerce platform for retailers. 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

Joining me today is an entrepreneur who has a marketing hack that many today wouldn’t even consider. She sends out postcards. Joy Gendusa is the founder of PostcardMania, a lead generation company that focuses on postcard marketing for SMB’s. I’m fascinated by this company and wait until you see how big it is. Joy Gendusa is the Founder of PostcardMania, a lead generation company that focuses on postcard marketing for SMB’s. 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

Today’s guest has had such a turbulent life I can’t understand how he’s still smiling. He did well with real estate then BOOM—he lost it all. He started over again and got into weed. He got into legal trouble. Had to start from scratch again. Then he got into makeup of all things and he’s back on top. Dhar Mann is the founder of Liveglam which is a subscription makeup club. Dhar Mann is the founder of Liveglam which is a subscription makeup club. 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

I’m fascinated by the company today’s guest started. You know how you see these amazing startup ideas and then you have to go back to your corporate job and there’s no way to execute those ideas in such a legacy environment? Well that’s the problem his company wants to solve. Steve Glaveski is the co-founder of CollectiveCampus which helps companies adopt the mindset, methodologies and tools to successfully explore new business models and disruptive innovation. Steve Glaveski is the co-founder of CollectiveCampus which helps companies adopt the mindset, methodologies and tools to successfully explore new business models and disruptive innovation. 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