That Will Never Work

When you look at social media it seems like founders all live like rockstars. But this belies the reality.  The truth is, being a founder can be one of the toughest, loneliest tasks you’ll ever face.  It’s not just the long hours and financial pressures…  studies show three quarters of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues.So why isn’t Start-Up Stress more talked about?  And when you’re facing it, what should you do about it?   Can you ever admit you’re having mental health issues to your investors or to your team?These important topics are what Marc explores with this week’s guest, Diego Chavez, founder of app Local Contact, along with the guest expertise of therapist and best-selling author Susan Zinn.Listen in for instantly actionable tips to improve your workday stress and how to approach big questions if you’re hitting the wall – how to know if you should push through or if it’s time to take a break or even quit? For more information on Mental Health Awareness, go to NAMI.org. Want to take a deeper dive into the topics Marc discusses in his shows? Pre-order the paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work here: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 It’s out June 7th. Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  

Karl is faced with a puzzling subscription problem: he has plenty of downloads of his Cofeesup app – but his conversion rate from free trial to paying customer is surprisingly low.  His solution to lift up neighborhood cafes over the mega marketers like Starbucks seems like a no brainer – you can get three cups of specialty coffee a week for just $8 a month… and the cafes even get supplied with free beans.  So why isn’t his growth as caffeinated as his product?Listen in as Marc takes Karl on a back to brass tacks masterclass in how to understand customer behavior… and then goes on to tackle another entrepreneurial biggy… How does Karl know when it’s time to let go of being the CEO?This episode is so jam packed with advice you won’t want to miss it! Want to take a deeper dive? Pre-order the paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never work here: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 It’s out June 7th. Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  

Is the old adage still true, that it takes money to make money?  That’s what this week’s guests Lauren Arshad and Jen Cefaly are trying to figure out.They are the co-founders of Los Angeles based Design Hive, an edutainment company that creates hands-on STEAM workshops for both kids and adults. The duo are brim full of ideas and are poised to grow but both they - and their capital - are spread thin… Is it the right time to raise?Listen in as Marc dissects predicaments faced by every early stage entrepreneur… and gives tips on how to find your business sweet spot.Want to take a deeper dive into the topics on this show? Pre-order the paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never work here for delivery June 7th. www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

How best to unleash your niche?   That’s what has Paul stumped.He’s the founder of a company called Cicero Learning, a business that helps families with the problem of global education access on a bespoke basis.It’s an educational method referred to as “World Schooling” which has become a hot topic thanks to the pandemic when laptop wielding parents realized that certain job types can now be done from literally anywhere in the world.But how can you best get customers educated on niche products and why the price tag is worth it? Listen in as Marc helps Paul think through the most  effective sampling strategies and how to build your funnel. Want to take a deeper dive into the topics on this show? Pre-order the paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never work here for delivery June 7th. www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182  Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

Is it possible to make big profits from a free consumable product? This week’s guest Josh Cliffords certainly thinks so. By selling ads on the side of bottles he’s been able to establish his brand FreeWater at lighting speed in his hometown of Austin, Texas. His flair for posting viral TikTok videos has sent his message around the world.Josh has ambitious goals - creating the world’s first free supermarket in which all the products are ad-backed and free-to-consumer, and with charitable giving baked into every unit his team hands out.But how does he convince advertisers, businesses, consumers… and Marc that this is the right way? Listen in to find out… Want to take a deeper dive into the topics on this show?Pre-order the paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never work here: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply. While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

It’s no secret that the pandemic hammered small businesses - especially those with brick and mortar locations.  But this week’s guest, Angela, wasn’t going to let her thriving math enrichment business close, even when her store had to. As a prime example of the power of the pivot, she’s actually managed to more than double her customer base and take her Philadelphia local business Trapezium Math, national by moving it online... But all this potential for growth has her at a crossroads - should she keep going slow and steady or is the time ripe to raise funds and expand even faster?   And can she compete with the big franchise players like Mathnasium and Kumon?That’s what Marc’s here to help her figure out today… Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to https://marcrandolph.com/guest (https://marcrandolph.com/guest), fill out the form and record the question you’d like Marc’s help with right there on the site. And while you’re there sign up for Marc’s newsletter https://marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

She’s worked with celebrities like Kendall and Kylie Jenner, brands like Adidas and magazines including Rolling Stone and Teen Vogue… She's even been a judge on Miss USA.   But fashion photographer Sophie Elgort has hit a career juncture faced by many would-be entrepreneurs: how do you scale when your business is you?She thinks she’s created a solution in her new company ClickHouse, which does  back-to-back portrait photography pop up sessions to create “headshots” - photos that people use of themselves for business purposes.  Her vision is to emulate the success of blow-dry salon Dry Bar and create a repeatable, scalable business that she can replicate all across the US.  She’s had success with her New York local pop up studios, but to make real money she needs to get some big businesses on board to give her the volume of people needed to keep with her vision of keeping the costs affordable but still being able to generate enough revenue for her company to be a success. Listen in for some great tips on how to find your scalability sweet spot, as Marc discusses her options in approaching the next phase in her business evolution and even gets some tips on his own headshot in the process.New episodes every Tuesday. Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to https://marcrandolph.com/guest (https://marcrandolph.com/guest), fill out the form and record the question you’d like Marc’s help with right there on the site. And while you’re there sign up for Marc’s newsletter https://marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you here:Twitter: @mbrandolphInstagram: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

Army vet Cooper is the founder of SoBet, a new peer-to-peer sports betting and social media platform that targets the elusive Gen-Z consumer.   But it’s a pitch that Marc has heard a thousand times before… and most of those pitches failed to make it.  Can this West Point grad prove both to Marc - and to the market - that his mix of reducing the juice and onboarding influencers is enough to get his platform off the ground?Listen in for Marc’s tips for trying to find success in a crowded market.  Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to https://marcrandolph.com/guest (https://marcrandolph.com/guest), fill out the form and record the question you’d like Marc’s help with right there on the site. And while you’re there sign up for Marc’s newsletter https://marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

How do you support entrepreneurial spirit in your child?  That’s what Marc explores in this week’s episode with the help of the first ever quartet of co-founders to appear on the show.  Elementary schoolers Julianne, Zachary, Maxfield and Mark have created beverage brand Astronade and caught Marc’s attention with their plucky marketing plan that even wound in their local mayor.   Could the kid factor be the secret sauce?  Listen as Marc gives a masterclass in how the youngest of entrepreneurs can get on the launch pad to success. Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to https://marcrandolph.com/guest (https://marcrandolph.com/guest), fill out the form and record the question you’d like Marc’s help with right there on the site. And while you’re there sign up for Marc’s newsletter https://marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph

James is an adventurer in both life and business.  But when your career is breaking world records how do you turn that into a sustainable business?He thinks he found his answer when he created his wilderness team building program My Adventure Group… and he’s getting rave reviews.  The trouble is, he’s just not getting enough customers.    Can Marc help James modify his offering and approach to navigate a better path? Listen in to find out.  Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to https://marcrandolph.com/guest (https://marcrandolph.com/guest), fill out the form and record the question you’d like Marc’s help with right there on the site. And while you’re there sign up for Marc’s newsletter https://marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph   Tiktok: @marc_randolph