Founder Breakthroughs

The Tech that’s Transforming Marketing – with Jeff Greenfield of Provalytics

It’s been a crazy couple of decades for marketing – especially with all the changes to the internet environment. We went from the wild west of the late 90’s – to performance based direct response in the first decade of the century – to social media, and then to peak data with cookies connecting every piece of data together. Then a single iPhone update brought it all crashing down. Today’s guest, Jeff Greenfield, has been working in the space throughout it all – and now he’s helping companies make the most of a post-cookie world. And – given everything we discussed – the future looks brighter than ever. Jeff explained how companies connect the dots today – the reason you need to take a much wider lens than what we learned in the performance era – and how advanced technology is able to help companies take control of their brand spend like never before. It was an exciting conversation. I learned a ton – and hope you do as well. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield/ Provalytics: https://provalytics.com/

Go To Market - with Alex Kottoor of Dena Startup Lab

Over the years, as I’ve met hundreds of founders and talked about their challenges, I’ve often had this illusion that there are a million different problems holding startups back. But recently – as I really dug into it – I’ve realized that there is really 1 problem that  defines whether or not a startup is going to go to the moon – or fizzle out and die. Today’s guest, Alex Kottoor has made a similar observation.  The distinction is around whether or not you achieve product market fit or PMF. And the path to get there – Go To Market or GTM – requires an amazing amount of vision, action, and most importantly persistence.  Alex and I had a fascinating discussion where we boiled down what separates founders who are able to make it through this journey – and those who give up. How to know when you need to buckle down and push harder – vs when you need to step back and get new options. And why startups need to keep their energy focused on GTM and not get sidetracked by all of the other temptations along the way. It was a fascinating discussion – and I hope you get some gems out of it. Links: Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexkottoor/ Dena Startup Lab: https://www.denastartuplab.com/

Founder Market Fit - with Shawn Miller of Inboundr.ai

We’ve talked quite a bit on the pod about Product Market Fit – and hammered home how critical that milestone is to the success or failure of any startup. But there’s an even more important factor that needs to be considered – and that’s founder market fit. Before starting his current venture, today’s guest, Shawn Miller,  developed a deep understanding of the problem he wanted to solve through his own direct experiences.  Not only does founder market fit make it easier to persevere when the going gets tough – it also makes sure you have the right lens to catch opportunities as they arise, and to separate the signal from the noise. I had a ton of fun talking about Shawn’s background – how it informed his idea for inbound – and how it has drastically increased the odds of the company achieving product market fit. I gained so many great insights talking with Shawn – and I hope you do as well. Links: Shawn Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawndavidmiller/ Inboundr: https://www.inboundr.ai/

The Forrest Gump path through the startup world – with Lee Lorenzen of Altura Ventures

Today’s episode features a conversation with Lee Lorenzen, a seasoned entrepreneur - and self proclaimed Forrest Gump of founders - who’s been building startups for over five decades.  From mowing lawns as a kid to working at Xerox during its golden years of innovation, Lee has seen the tech industry evolve in some fascinating ways.  In this conversation, we dive into:  •  How seeing the future at Xerox helped shape his entrepreneurial journey •  Navigating major technology trends over the years •  The tension between seeing the future and living in the present •  Building startups with a mission-driven mindset •  How founders can take advantage of a non-traditional funding approach outside of VC circles It’s an engaging discussion filled with valuable insights and stories from Lee’s incredible career. Links: Altura Ventures: https://www.altura.net

Getting to Critical Mass in a 2 Sided Marketplace - with Derreck Stratton of HUDU

The gig economy is booming, but there's still a gap when it comes to odd jobs and local services.  Derreck Stratton, the founder of HUDU – who we first interviewed back in episode #2 – is looking to bridge that gap with an innovative platform.  During our conversation, we talked about: ·       How Hudu is revolutionizing the way people find help for odd jobs and tasks ·       The challenges of building and scaling a two-sided marketplace ·       The importance of focusing on your core markets before rapid expansion ·       How AI is being integrated to make the user experience seamless ·       The potential for Hudu to enable a new kind of "physical nomad" lifestyle ·       And the journey from launch to achieving product-market fit You can learn more about Derreck and HUDU at: HeyHUDU.com