EP 619: Smartbeat Raises $250K Onboards First Customers To Help Brick and Mortar Track Customers with CEO Paul Trappitt

Paul Trappitt. He's currently the CEO and co-founder of Smartbeat. Before Smartbeat, he was the senior business analyst at National Australia Bank and a senior project lead at SignIQ.

Famous Five:

• Favorite Book? – Start with Why and The Startup Owner's Manual
• What CEO do you follow? – Gary Vaynerchuk
• 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? – "I wish I knew smartphones were coming"

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:22 – Nathan introduces Paul to the show
• 01:45 – Smartbeat helps small businesses to navigate the complex omni channel
• 02:30 – Paul shares how one of their paying customers uses Smartbeat
• 03:02 – Smartbeat is about the people that are already using your business
• • 03:10 – Smartbeat turns customers into raging fans
• 03:20 – Smartbeat is currently focusing on brick-and-mortar businesses
• 03:51 – Paul explains how they can help Jim, the café owner
• 05:14 – Smartbeat provides Wi-Fi to business owners and other technologies
• • 05:50 – Smartbeat targets your audience in social media
• 06:32 – Smartbeat is a SaaS business
• • 06:39 – Pricing starts at $250 a month
• 07:06 – Smartbeat currently has 5 customers
• 07:12 – Paul had a Wi-Fi company for 3 years
• 07:38 – Paul's Wi-Fi business did $20K in 2016
• 07:44 – Paul pivoted because there was too much competition in the Wi-Fi space
• 08:23 – Smartbeat raised $150K in Australia
• • 08:39 – It was an equity round
• 08:55 – Paul shares how he came up with the valuation
• 10:10 – Smartbeat started in 2015
• 10:18 – Team size is 6 and they are all based in Australia
• 10:30 – Paul shares how they find their customers
• 10:55 – Smartbeat built their list organically through networking
• 12:35 – The Famous Five

3 Key Points:

• Don't be afraid to pivot—you'll know when it's time.
• One way to build your network is by spreading news about your product in social gatherings.
• Technology is unpredictable so you have no choice but to adapt.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Top Inbox – The site Nathan uses to schedule emails to be sent later, set reminders in inbox, track opens, and follow-up with email sequences
• Organifi – The juice was Nathan's life saver during his trip in Southeast Asia
• Klipfolio – Track your business performance across all departments for FREE
• Acuity Scheduling – Nathan uses Acuity to schedule his podcast interviews and appointments
• Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for the cheapest price possible
• Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) to listen to audio books
• Freshbooks – Nathan doesn't waste time so he uses Freshbooks to send out invoices and collect his money. Get your free month NOW
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives