The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

Michael Hollauf, cofounder and CEO of MeisterLabs. The company works to provide resources to collaborate across digital platforms. Now they are introducing a new service, MeisterTask, which focuses on better task management and a fun user experience. Hear about how MeisterLabs has hit the ground running and is continuing to introduce new tools to help businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Rich Dad Poor Dad What CEO do you follow? — Stewart Butterfield Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Buy a flat in London. Be bold. Do it earlier.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Michael 01:35 – Managing director of MeisterLabs 02:20 – MeisterTask 03:10 – Trello was their inspiration 03:40 – Better task management 04:00 – Something more fun to use and focused on tasks 04:15 – 550000 users 05:10 – 60% of the downloads are through the app store 05:30 – Some features

Jon Lee, CEO of ProsperWorks. Jon has jumped to many different industries, from gaming to tech to banking. As an entrepreneur with success in multiple companies, he believes in going after your business goals as soon as possible. Listen to his journey through his businesses and how he ended up with ProsperWorks. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? — Marc Benioff Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Start your companies earlier.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Jon Lee 02:10 – “Banking to tech to Yahoo to gaming” 02:40 – He saw a need for advertisers when he worked for Yahoo 03:10 – Bizarre Advertising 03:25 – They automated the business 04:10 – How they got revenue 04:35 – Started in their apartment in Palo Alto 04:50 -- $47-million business in two years 05:10 – Applied algorithms to find success 05:35 – Bound to confidentiality on the exi

Kevin Davis, who came up with a creative solution for tech support. After waiting weeks to get his computer back from the Geek Squad, he thought there had to be a quicker, better solution. He created Geekatoo as a platform for people to find tech experts in their own neighborhoods. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Jason Calacanis’s Podcast What CEO do you follow? — Not really, I look at other marketplaces. Favorite online tool? — Base Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Make sure that you get your startup out as soon as possible.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Kevin 01:50 – Musician, tech guy, and geek 02:10 – Geekatoo, “like an Uber for tech support” 03:00 – They started out aiming for a nationwide company 04:10 – A platform 04:50 – Founded in 2010 04:55 – First-year revenue was literally nothing 05:30 – It took over a year to get the product out 06:20 – He supported himself by living back home 07:00 – Now i

Byron Walker, owner of Survival Frog. Byron is passionate about scaling businesses that will change the world. Hear the breakdown of Survival Frog and what launched this company into huge success. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Ready Aim Fire! What CEO do you follow? — No Favorite online tool? — Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Welcome adversity.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Byron 01:40 – Survival Frog 02:00 -- $4.7 million last year 02:20 – Started in 2009 02:30 – Info publishing company 03:00 – One product exploded in 2012 03:30 – 500000 purchases 03:50 – How they got the first sales 04:00 – Paid traffic 04:10 – Banner ads and paid email 04:20 – What is paid email 05:15 – Conversations are around 3 to 5 percent 05:20 – Split testing to find the right price 05:55 – Upsells make money for them 06:15 – Average profit is $5 06:30 – Over a million spent on paid marketing 07:00 – How to b

Hamza Amir, who is the CEO of Blurbiz. As a marketing guru working for household names like Disney and Coca-Cola, Hamza saw a problem in the industry with mobile videos. He kept hearing the same complaints, but no one was doing anything about it. Hamza came up with the solution when he created Blurbiz.   Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Mark Suster: msuster on Snapchat Favorite online tool? — Scoutapp Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Move to Silicon Valley faster.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Hamza 01:40 – He is not the guy behind the Chewbacca mask 02:00 – Blurbiz assists with mobile ad videos 03:00 – Up to $5000/month per account 03:20 – 20 customers right now 03:40 – He used to do influencer marketing work 04:05 – He saw a gap in mobile content 04:35 – Blurbiz was the solution to that gap 04:40 – Expected to raise $2 M by the end of the month 05:05 – They are wo

Danavir Sarria. After working as a freelance copywriter, Danavir wanted to stop working with clients and start working for himself. He created CopyMonk, a service that teaches people how to increase sales by producing effective copy. At only 22 years old, Danavir is making a place for himself as an expert copywriter. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Rework What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuck Favorite online tool? — MindMeister Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Focus on your efforts, and not on your passion.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Danavir 01:40 – CopyMonk 02:15 – Total revenue is $6k in two months 02:30 – How he became a copywriting expert 03:00 – 1700 people on his email list 03:40 – 40 sales over four days 04:20 – How to manage his email list 04:45 – Teach people and build a relationship 06:00 – How you know if someone is a good copywriter 06:30 – Sales and good engagement 07:00 – Knows c

Joe Hyrkin, CEO of Issuu. Joe enjoys working in the publishing industry because it is driven by passion. It is a collective space for people who are moved about something to experience that thing together. Listen as Joe talks about Issuu, which has brought the publishing industry into a modern, digital context. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing about Hard Things What CEO do you follow? — Mark Zuckerberg Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Not now. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Put in effort to make an impact. Have a broader learning perspective. Care and effort matter over anything else.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Joe 01:40 –  Issuu is a modern media company 02:20 – Tools for publishers 02:45 – Access to premium tools brings in revenue 03:05 – Revenue from Issuu itself 03:40 – Started in Copenhagen 03:55 – A more current platform of digital media 04:15 – He was not part of the original founding team

Julie Fredrickson from Stowaway Cosmetics. Have you ever felt like your purse was so heavy it could take someone out with one swing? Every lip gloss, concealer, and eyeliner really adds up! Julie has a found a solution to this problem with Stowaway Cosmetics, which focuses on creating a more mobile product for women on the go. Listen as she tells us how she has transformed the beauty industry with products that actually get used. Famous Five:   Favorite Book? – Five Dysfunctions of a Team What CEO do you follow? — Gary Vaynerchuck Favorite online tool? — Google Apps Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Religiously. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don’t be a jerk. Being kind costs you nothing.   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Julie 01:30 – Stowaway Cosmetics is about mobile products that women can use anywhere 02:10 – Launched 18 months ago 02:25 – Learning to run an effective ecommerce business 02:35 -- $1.5 M in capital 02:45 – Equity 03:15 – Valu

Phil Alexander, founder and CEO of ConceptDrop. His company has a mission to get your projects done while you’re sleeping. You can send your project to ConceptDrop and expect to see the end result within mere hours. Listen as Phil tells us about the incredible growth of his business and what he sees for ConceptDrop in the future. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Wall Street Journal What CEO do you follow? — Sundar Pichai Favorite online tool? — Hubspot Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — You’re not going to learn everything in business school. Start selling as soon as you can. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:05 – Nathan introduces Phil 01:40 – ConceptDrop 02:05 – Servicing over 300 brands 02:25 – A global network of sellers 02:58 – About 30% taken from the sellers 03:25 – They set the prices 03:48 – Upselling to the buyers 04:10 – The average buyer 04:25 – Started in 2012 04:50 – First-year revenue was a couple thousand 05:10 – Funds rais

Yahya Mokhtarzada, co-founder of Truebill. Truebill is a free online tool designed to keep track of all of your monthly subscriptions and find ways to save you money. With so many products requiring a subscription fee, Truebill keeps your bills more organized and paid on time. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Onward What CEO do you follow? — Jeff Bezos Favorite online tool? — Ahrefs Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No chance. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Take bigger risks. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Yahya 1:30 – Truebill keeps track of recurring bills and subscriptions 2:00 – Free for users 2:20 – Looking at transactions and making recommendations 2:50 – Business development deals 3:20 – Launched in January 2016 03:40 – Healthy growth each month 04:00 – Up to $50k/month at the end of the year 04:20 – Saving other people money 04:45 –$1.75 million in capital 05:15 – Agreement for future equity 06:20 – User data 06:40 – Deals with businesses for a

Raj Bhaskar, CEO and cofounder of Hurdlr. Hurdlr is an online tool that helps freelancers and entrepreneurs track their income and taxes. It helps people save money by calculating deductions within seconds. Nathan and Raj will discuss the beginning of Hurdlr and where they are headed in the future. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The One Thing What CEO do you follow? — Gary Keller Favorite online tool? — Google Drive, Freshbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Don’t be so serious. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:03 – Nathan introduces Raj 02:15 – VisualHOMES acquisition price 02:35 – Revenue model 03:10 – Using proceeds from that as an investor and for Hurdlr 03:25 – Hurdlr launched a couple years ago 03:40 – It tracks finances and taxes for freelancers 04:25 – Competitors 04:40 – “Like Mint but for business.” 05:15 – Quick process compared to competitors 05:55 – They integrate with Freshbooks 06:20 – The business model 06:30 – They are c

Cory Gregory, a fourth-generation coalminer who has made it to the top in the fitness industry. Cory has now developed his personal brand on his website where people can pay $8.99 per month to get his top workout plans and his daily articles and videos on how to get into incredible shape. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Rich Dad Poor Dad What CEO do you follow? — Bill Phillips Favorite online tool? — Quickbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Have a strong strategy early. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:03 – Nathan introduces Cory 01:30 – Most money is in selling memberships and books on his internet business 02:00 -- $8.99/month membership 02:15 – Products in 100 countries 02:30 – Cofounder of MusclePharm 02:55 – Now a public company 03:15 – “A lot of Wall Street and a lot of boardrooms just really wasn’t for me.” 03:40 – Now owns 3% 04:00 – Went public in 2010 04:30 -- $40 million raised in capital 05:35 – “I learned a ton…. It changed

Vincenzo Ruggiero, founder of Prospect.io. Vincenzo has a wife and two children, with one born just days ago. With the chaos of a new baby, Vincenzo has still found a way to support himself and his family and manage a new and growing business. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Getting Real, Rework What CEO do you follow? — Joel Gascoigne Favorite online tool? — Freshbooks, Slack, Trello, Appear Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Be humble. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan introduces Vincenzo 01:40 – Prospect.io is a sales software 02:00 – Recurring revenue from monthly plans 02:20 – Launched in January 2016 02:40 – June revenue was $17k 03:15 – Customer pays more the more they use it 04:10 – Average is $45/month 04:30 – How they have driven customers 04:50 – word of mouth 05:50 – Different types of customers 06:20 – Self-funded 06:45 – Team of 3 07:30 – The system in Belgium makes Vincenzo the sole founder 08:00 – Vincenzo started with

Andrew Kemendo, founder of Pair. Andrew was in Guam as an Airforce Intelligence Officer when he came up with an augmented reality idea to try out furniture and materials without having to buy or ship anything. The Airforce needed to build new facilities, and Andrew thought his idea would save a lot of money and headache. Now his company Pair is used by several large manufacturers to help people find the right furniture for their homes. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? — Justin Kan Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Never. If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Keep learning about paradigm shifting technologies. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:13 – Nathan introduces Andrew 01:40 – Pair is a tool to try out home furnishings before you buy them 02:30 – Free for consumers 02:45 – Andrew’s experience in Guam and how he came up with Pair 03:45 – They started working with architects 04:10 – Launched fulltime in 2015 05:0

Timur Daudpota, cofounder of Blurbiz. His business allows companies to create and edit videos and post them directly to Snapchat. Listen to Timur share his journey as an entrepreneur. He started out with skateboards, and now he’s jumped to Snapchat.   Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Sketch Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Read more books. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Timur 02:00 – Blurbiz is a SaaS platform 03:00 – They found a gap in Snapchat 03:35 – Customers can link their Snapchat account and post videos through Blurbiz 04:20 – Working with publishers 04:40 – They charge $2k to $5k per month 05:00 -- $60k in revenue last month 05:15 – Too early for churn 05:45 – Customer acquisition 06:20 – They pay themselves a $60k salary 06:35 – Fundraising is $425k total 07:15 – Valuation 08:20 – Team size is 8 08:30 – Commission based 09:45 – Based out

Cody Bradstreet. Cody has a background in accounting and was working for Dell when she realized she needed a backup plan for work. She opened up her own franchise of The Lice Place, where people can have lice manually moved without harsh chemicals. Find out how an accountant got her hands into the lice industry. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Her own future book What CEO do you follow? — No Favorite online tool? — Quickbooks Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—Yes If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Love yourself. Forward fixes everything. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:00 – Nathan introduces Cody 01:20 – Started in accounting 01:40 – Worked at Dell 02:10 – She left Dell to “chase my dreams in the lice industry.” 02:30 – Started as a backup plan for possible layoffs 03:20 – She approached a small business, The Lice Place 03:50 – The transition 04:25 – Franchising 04:40 – Total revenue for the year before she bought it was under $50k 05:10 – Service to manually remove lice 05:50 – S

Kenneth Lee, founder of TravelFlan. Kenneth has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and has developed a business that makes travelling easier. TravelFlan has partnered with major airlines as well as thousands of individual customers to give them a personal digital travelling assistant. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – Zero to One What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?—No If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Quit school faster. Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:10 – Nathan introduces Kenneth 01:30 – TravelFlan 01:55 – Customers pay on average $15 02:30 – Three sources of revenue 03:05 – History of the business 03:30 – He and his partner loved to travel 04:14 – First-year revenue in 2015 $120k 04:50 – They have a free service and a premium service 05:15 – 2000 customers 05:25 – May 2016 revenue from commissions from airlines was $25k 06:00 – Two large airlines use their data 06:30 – May total revenue was $50k 06:55 – Fu