The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

Fehzan Ali, Co-Founder & CEO at Adscend Media LLC, home of award-winning offer walls, and advertising solutions for mobile app and web publishers. Listen as Nathan quizzes Fehzan on the Adscend revenue model, and inquires about the future of the adwall business. Famous 5Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsWhat CEO do you follow?— NoWhat is your favorite online tool?— Google DocsDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Sales is critical and I wish I knew more about it early on Time Stamped Show Notes:01:06 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Fehzan to the show02:12 – Focusing on the user increases profitability02:25 – Measuring interest from publishers and advertisers02:45 – Doing $100K a month in advert spend03:12 – Only paid for app installs or actions04:05 – How Adscend makes money?—Take 30% of the spend received04:52 – Breaking down the spend07:20 – Founded company in 2009, been in rewarding space for 10 years07:39 – Feh

Listen as Lane Campbell shares his insight on the importance of partnerships for rapid growth, the challenges of finding quality technical talent, and his plans for the future. Famous 5Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsWhat CEO do you follow?— Mark ZuckerbergWhat is your favorite online tool?— SlackDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Leave college early. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:06 – Nathan’s introduction 01:28 – Welcoming Lane to the show01:33 – The 5 companies Lane sold before he was 3002:20 – Lifetime value of exits was south of $10M02:45 – Lane’s current projects03:51 – His #1 focus right now is TBD04:44 – Lane’s #1 income stream is Create.ly05:39 -- $20-$40K is Lane’s consulting fee07:25 – Use partnerships and incentives to grow rapidly08:18 – Even if you’re a name brand you can still decline in revenue year of year09:05 – Create.ly did roughly $500K in 201509:52 – The challenge of attracting top technical talent11:26 –

Fritz Heffinger, President at OutCold, an action media company that specializes in creating unforgettable brand experiences in the most unexpected ways. Listen as Fritz outlines the origins of his company’s unique name, and why action media exposure is changing how businesses approach branding and outreach.   Famous 5Favorite Book? – NoneWhat CEO do you follow?— Steve DimeWhat is your favorite online tool?— AsanaDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Don’t take life so seriously. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:11 – Nathan’s introduction 01:27 – Welcoming Fritz to the show01:36 – Named after the movie “OutCold”02:12 – How OutCold makes money04:18 – Dive right into unique forms of marketing and communication05:29 – Depending on the variety of experience, they charge between $300-600K06:35 – Revenue in 2015 was $2.5M07:34 – 11 Full-time and 400 Part-time employees08:03 – Take advantage of local people and resources09:14 – Nathan talks about future pla

Vincenzo Villamena, the founder of OnlineTaxman.com, the best resources for U.S. Expats looking to stay on the good side of the IRS. Listen as Nathan and Vincenzo discuss Private Equity in-depth, moving to South America, and starting OnlineTaxman from scratch. Bio:No Bio Available Famous 5Favorite Book? – The 4-Hour Work WeekWhat CEO do you follow?— Elon MuskWhat is your favorite online tool?— Solve 360Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Don’t get a job, just pursue your dreams and ideas Time Stamped Show Notes:01:06 – Nathan’s introduction 01:52 – Welcoming Vincenzo to the show02:00 – Making money selling candy03:30 – Talking PwC and the Big 4 in general04:45 – Got into Private Equity for the money05:28 – Getting paid in Private Equity06:00 – Bonuses were highly discretionary06:30 – Talking about “Carry”08:15 – It’s all about networking09:00 – Describing a private equity deck09:43 – The balance between hardcore numbers and noise11:00 – Desc

Ashish Patel, the VP of Social Media at NowThis & Executive-in-Residence at Lerer Hippeau Ventures. Listen as Nathan and Ashish discuss entrepreneurial life within the media space, and how NowThis is changing the way people approach mobile video. Famous 5Favorite Book? – Art of WarWhat CEO do you follow?— Richard BransonWhat is your favorite online tool?— TweetDeckDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Know that life is a marathon, not a sprint—take your time and stop stressing Time Stamped Show Notes:01:12 – Nathan’s introduction 01:36 – Welcoming Ashish to the show02:55 – Working with Shell Oil04:12 – Like to produce content that’s about 4 Mins long05:08 – Lots of businesses are trying to find a way to make content for Snapchat and Instagram08:00 – Working with Joe Biden08:19 – Custom pricing for working with Shell Oil—a campaign based model, generally more than $100K09:18 – How do you transform 10 minutes of footage into dozens of differ

Andrea Lake - As owner of six successful businesses, Andrea has a unique insight into what it takes to not only start a business, but turn it into a winner. Listen as she shares her trade secrets for aspiring entrepreneurs. Famous 5Favorite Book? – Do Cool ShitWhat CEO do you follow?— Jeff WalkerWhat is your favorite online tool?— 15-5Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— YesIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Worrying is unnecessary, it’s a waste of time. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:12 – Nathan’s introduction 01:32 – Welcoming Andrea to the show01:57 – StickerJunkie started before YogaJunkie02:25 – Build and hold kinda girl02:40 – Currently owns 6 companies03:17 – Lessons.Biz and StickerJunkie are the most profitable businesses05:12 – All sticker companies do well and have solid recurring revenue05:48 – Andrea would exit StickerJunkie for a number just north of $5M09:11 – Licensing versus Sales11:00 – Talking Lessons.biz 12:55 – Have 2400 email addresses on list via BF ads—spent $

Nathan speaks with Ishveen Anand, the CEO of Open Sponsorship, a membership-based platform that connects brands with athletes looking for sponsors. Listen as Nathan asks Ishveen about the origins of the company, their latest round of funding, and life as one of Forbes 30 Under 30. Famous 5Favorite Book? – NoneWhat CEO do you follow?— Indra NooyiWhat is your favorite online tool?— ReBumpDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Ignorance is bliss Time Stamped Show Notes:01:09 – Nathan’s introduction 01:48 – Welcoming Ishveen to the show01:59 – Talking Forbes 30 Under 3002:24 – How Open Sponsorship makes money03:12 – Money is made on the brand wanting to find the athlete side--$400/month so not a huge barrier to entry—and %5 on the athlete side04:15 – The cash deals are not necessarily the most popular05:15 – Started in August 201405:39 – 400 brands have already signed up06:19 -- $120K annual revenue in 201506:48 – Trying to be at $3M at end of year

Ashu Dubey, Co-Founder of Get Applause, an app designed to help people lose weight and get back in shape. Listen as Nathan grills Ashu about the valuation of his business, how he was able to court Marc Benioff, and why an $8M offer wouldn’t be enough for him to sell right now. Famous 5Favorite Book? – Pitch AnythingWhat CEO do you follow?— Jack DorseyWhat is your favorite online tool?— SideKick by HubspotDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Start one more company. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:06 – Nathan’s introduction 01:32 – Welcoming Ashu to the show01:48 – How Ashu makes money02:40 – Volume, downloads, and how they’re making money03:03 – Active users are defined as someone who takes an action with a month03:29 – Nathan quizzes Ashu on the meaning of “Retention”04:55 – Raising money, and keeping the lights on via a priced round06:25 – The leadership team at Applause07:50 – Why Ashu feels an $8M valuation is small08:40 – Optimize for the long

Matt Weinberg, CEO of Vector Media Group a company that specializes in web design, content management, and general media consulting. Listen in as Matt shares the history of his 15 year old company, how it went from a small pet project to genuine giant, and what he sees for the future of media. Bio:Matt co­founded Vector Media Group in high school, and is now its President of Development and Technology. Vector is now 32 people and has been on the Inc 5000 list of America's fastest growingcompanies for 3 years in a row. We're fully bootstrapped: we've never taken outside funding or debt and have been profitable every single month since our start. Famous 5Favorite Book? – Getting to YesWhat CEO do you follow?— Travis KalanickWhat is your favorite online tool?— WorkFlowyDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Know how much harder it is to take a risk at 30 than 20. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:17 – Nathan’s introduction 01:48 – Welcoming Matt to the s

Brian Verne, CEO of Phenom, former college baseball player, and native of Cleveland, Ohio. Listen as Nathan and Brian chat about life as a college athlete, and why big time athletic brands are starting to sponsor high school athletes when they once only cared about the pros. Famous 5Favorite Book? – The Art of FeelingWhat CEO do you follow?— N/AWhat is your favorite online tool?— SlackDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Understand how difficult it is to build a business. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:17 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Brian to the show01:45 – What Phenom is03:35 – How Phenom makes money04:01 – Phenom gives young athletes the ability to connect with large brands04:38 – Currently connected with Wilson05:18 – The payment model between Phenom and Wilson06:04 – Currently have 60K users 06:50 – defining an “active” user08:49 – There’s a massive psychological connection between gear and performance11:15 – Brian talks about s

Derek Capo, a former hedge fund guy, and Miami native who witnessed the 2007 real estate collapse first hand. Listen as Nathan asks Derek about his life in a hedge fund, his several entrepreneurial ventures, and what it’s like saying “See-ya” to South Beach to set up a business ½ a world away in China. Famous 5: Favorite Book? – N/AWhat CEO do you follow?— Hoby DarlingWhat is your favorite online tool?— AsanaDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—Focus on more profitable businesses Time Stamped Show Notes:01:16 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Derek to the show01:48 – Life in a hedge fund and in Fin Tech02:22 – The biggest win?—Jet Blue—made $3-4 million in a few weeks04:27 – Luck versus Skill in the hedge fund game07:35 – Compensation in a hedge fund08:50 – Not many 21 year olds get started in a hedge fund09:50 – It’s ALL about the hustle10:50 – Heading to China from Miami11:18 – Seeing the financial crisis LIVE in Miami12:16 – In the

Chris Guillebeau, a world traveler and writer who helps people get the kick start they need in life. Listen as Nathan asks Chris about the publishing industry’s trade secrets, and how he built a booming career in writing. Famous 5:Favorite Book? – Mountains Beyond MountainsWhat CEO do you follow?— N/AWhat is your favorite online tool?— OmniFocusDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?—You don’t need to have everything figured out, don’t be afraid.\ Time Stamped Show Notes:01:17 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – How Chris makes money02:30 – Chris is 3702:38 – An entrepreneur is someone who will work 24 hours a day to avoid working 1 hour a day for someone else03:15 – So many people are out there making a great living for themselves OUTSIDE of silicon valley04:15 – The #1 thing you can do is create something of value05:55 – Relationships are the key to success07:12 – Make sure your book kills in the first few week07:51 – Chris is published through Ra

Ezra Firestone, the Smart Marketer and Co-Founder of BOOM! By Cindy Joseph. Listen as Nathan and Ezra discuss the intricacies of intelligent digital marketing, why a universal sales funnel can work extremely well, and how the relationships you make are often your best tools for success. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:17 – Nathan’s introduction 01:49 – Welcoming Ezra to the show02:11 – Talking about BOOM!02:27 – Fundamentally—they’re selling an idea03:00 – http://www.boombycindyjoseph.com/04:23 – The best-selling item of 201304:43 – Ezra uses a universal sales funnel05:12 – Engage with content and then make an offer 06:00 – No long-form sales page, just the product list07:24 – Different content sells to different people08:04 – Get facetime, build intimacy10:00 – the lifetime value of a customer—historically $12011:00 – Ad purchasing is done manually11:25 – Buying traffic is wide to narrow---work wide to narrow12:00 – See what works, then hit it hard and fast13:00 – eCommerce business doesn’t do as well as informat

Scott Hansbury, CEO of YouStake, a company that gives poker fans the ability to stake their favorite players in real, fully-licensed tournaments. As a 53 year-old entrepreneur and former Sun Microsystems executive, Scott is a goldmine of business insight—listen as he shares those insights with us on today’s show.   Time Stamped Show Notes:01:18 – Nathan’s introduction 01:45 – Welcoming Scott to the show02:00 – Giving up the corporate world02:46 – Talking successful exits03:32 – Mezzanine round of funding04:00 – ARR was $15M when they sold to Sun Microsystems at $400M—during the silly days of the internet ‘99 05:31 – Staying motivated when you’re “Set for life”07:15 – Staking in the poker industry08:19 – Person to Person sponsorship—IRS approved!08:44 – Bootstrapped to launch10:25 – How the betting/staking works11:08 – So far, YouStake has garnered $2.8M stakes and $1.4M pledges12:30 – There are a shitload of poker fans worldwide14:24 – The average stake is $34015:13 -- %5 goes to YouStake and 2.9% goes to fee

Gina Tost, a journalist, author of the book Vida Extra, cofounder for Gin App—one on the Top 100 Start Ups of 2015. Listen as Gina shares insights surrounding her marketplace app and how her company creates organic reach in Barcelona. Famous 5Favorite Book? – Who by Geoff Smart and Randy StreetWhat CEO do you follow?— NoneWhat is your favorite online tool?— Twitter & TweetDeckDo you get 8 hours of sleep?— NoIf you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be?— Focus on learning everything because you’ll never know when you can use itTime Stamped Show Notes:01:00 – Nathan’s introduction01:48 – Welcoming Gina to the show02:02 – All about Gin App04:20 – Currently working with 350 advertisers and 700 sources06:35 – Annual revenue for 2015 - $750K07:40 – Monthly subscription10:45 – Average invoicing of $1000 monthly11:29 – “We don’t track cost per signup because, nowadays, everything is organic”13:25 – More than 10,000 bloggers made money from the app13:53 – Twitter @Ginapp15:24 – Famous 5

Andrea Loubier, the CEO of Mailbird, a company that is revolutionizing the way online communication is conducted through email reform. Tune-in to hear Andrea talk about abandoning her humdrum corporate life for her exciting entrepreneurial venture based in Silicon Bali. Andrea Loubier is a travel addict, who is obsessed with spicy food, third culture kid who is crazy passionate about improving the unification of online communication...starting with email. As the CEO of Mailbird and one of Southeast Asia leading female thought leaders, Andrea is taking on Outlook from Silicon Bali. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:12 – Nathan’s introduction 01:39 – Welcoming Andrea to the show01:54 – Building the business in Bali02:03 – Mailbird is a Swiss-Army knife for email02:50 – Just hit 1M mailboxes managed03:14 – Close to $500K in AR03:44 – They’ve hit on a solid model05:09 – The Flash-sale pricing structure05:55 – After the banner—20% conversion06:45 – Before the banner—10% conversion07:15 – Mailbird has been around since 20

Nathan speaks with Daniel Brusilovsky and Jason Stein, the co-founders of i-Moji.Daniel Brusilovsky and Jason Stein are two of the co­founders at i­moji, the largest sticker library in the world. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:08 – Nathan’s introduction 01:33 – Welcoming Daniel and Jason to the show01:45 – Six founders of i-Moji02:48 – Do what you’re passionate about03:30 – Jason originally operated at Hotel Tonight03:54 – How they’re making money?—They’re not04:48 – Give users as fast and relevant experience no matter what05:48 – A b2c product06:05 – Left Shark example07:01 – Proactively try to curate categories and put them in trending lists so people don’t have to search for them07:36 – Where to experience i-moji09:47 – The team is 7 people full time and they’ve raised $2M of seed in equity10:27 – Advice on raising capital in the B2C space11:01 – Understand how it becomes a massive business12:35 – In the b2c space, you’ve got to have a following13:08 – Impression goal is in the billions per month13:75 – i-moji

Ben Fisher, the co-founder of Lean Startup Machine, and Alchemy. Listen in as Ben talks about his growth process with both Lean Startup Machine and Alchemy, what he learned, and what lessons can be applied universally. Ben, a New York City­based designer + hacker, co­founded Lean Startup Machine and Alchemy (acquired by Red Rover in 2013). Time Stamped Show Notes:01:08 – Nathan’s introduction 01:35 – Welcoming Ben to the show01:50 – Talking Lean Startup Machine02:00 – You will fail, you will focus on the wrong stuff.03:23 – Lean Startup Machine started as a weekend-long experiment04:25 – The ascension of Alchemy Labs06:14 – Collaboration software—Google Group meets LinkedIN07:30 – WeWork was one of the earliest customers…bottom line at $100/mo08:50 – By the time they raised $60K in funding, they realized they didn’t have the energy to build the company—they therefore jumped on an acquisition offer11:38 – Ben was drawn to Jordan because he’s a fantastic marketer12:27 – People pay a ton of money on user-acquisi

Jon Gillon, 7x startup founder, 4x failer, general Silicon Valley Hustler, and free-style rapper. Listen in as Jon shares his story of early failure, how he remained persistent, and how his latest startup Roost came to be. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:08 – Nathan’s introduction 01:30 – Welcoming Jon to the show01:53 – The 4 failures were Jon’s most important lessons02:40 – Did the friends and family round02:53 – Hiring an engineer is the hardest part of getting a business off the ground04:05 – Just in the failed businesses Jon’s raised $35K05:20 – Jon’s biggest competitors06:00 – 15% transaction fee on all Roost transactions06:29 – AirBNB for inanimate objects08:22 – How to look for a lead investor—it’s not a willy nilly process09:45 – Zipcar and Enterprise are big partners of Roost10:16 – Finding a technical co-founder at the start of Roost12:20 – http://www.medium.com/@jongillon Famous 5Favorite Book? – How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleWhat CEO do you follow?— Jack Dorsey What is your favorite online to

Matthew Bernman of Sonar, a business that makes is super convenient for customers to chat with the companies they buy from. Listen as Nathan asks Matthew about his journey into the startup game, Sonar’s financial backing, and their long-term development goals. Time Stamped Show Notes:01:09 – Nathan’s introduction 01:39 – Welcoming Matthew to the show01:52 – Why he left 500 Startups02:08 – Matthew always wanted to jump back into the startup game03:09 – Used to work with Teamly—a company that folded04:10 – Convertible note versus equity05:03 – Lead Cap negotiation05:34 – How Sonar makes money06:00 – 120 paying customers, on average contributing $2K per month07:30 – Customer acquisition is primarily through word of mouth08:05 – Month over month revenue increase is 35%09:20 – Inbound leads tend to convert at a much higher rate09:48 – 3rd party integration will also be a growth driver10:22 – Want to hit $1M ARR in 201611:49 – The interest is in taking a lasting vestment in the company Famous 5Favorite Book? – None