Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

Hello and, welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Miles Lim, co-founder and Chief Banana Officer of Bananablades Among many things, we discuss: How he transitioned from photography, to chemistry, to engineering, to running a ski company The role of luck in building a business Building the prototype skis How to build a brand of accessible outdoor products Thinking about when to hire How to take action How to learn to be yourself in business Sit back and enjoy the show Website https://bananablades.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bananablades/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@bananabladesskis

Welcome to Ready For Launch. This week I’m talking to Jake Abrams, Founder of Odyssey, a growth marketing agency focused on direct-to-consumer startups. We talk about: The benefits of working in marketing for small business The value of research in selling a product Growing from a team of 1 to a team of 10 How to easily transition from full-time work to your first business The power of referrals How crucial a foundation of good data is to any business Why it’s important to separate those you can help from those you can’t So sit back and enjoy the show Website https://www.growodyssey.com/ I never feel like you convert someone off your website, you just can’t lose them with your site. We fit into the category of growth generalist. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/abramsjake/

Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their businesses. This week I’m talking to Bohdi Valentine, Founder of Burgerland Smash Up, a brand delivering regional burger and hot dog experiences to the mouths of Vancouver. We talk about: Transitioning from tech to food Hitting rock bottom and rising from the ashes Learning how to run a business The history of the smash burger The problems with 6000kg trucks How not to take things personally So sit back and enjoy the show Instagram https://www.instagram.com/BurgerlandSmash/ https://www.instagram.com/sausagelandvancouver/ Website https://www.burgerlandsmashup.ca/ Main Street Brewing 261 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5T 0B8 https://www.mainstreetbeer.ca/food If you mention this podcast, you will get a discount!

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. This week I’m talking to Paul Owusu, CEO and co-founder of Phreshly, a brand making ready-to-drink canned cocktails from all-natural ingredients. We talk about: Social mining your way to product market fit How cocktails can transport you to a particular place The 3 tier process of selling liquor in the US The growth of the DTC beverage market The importance of surprise and delight for customers. Where not to spend your money as an early-stage brand. And so much more So sit back and enjoy the show Website https://phreshly.co/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wyd.paul/ Twitter https://twitter.com/wydpaul__ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulowusu/

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. This week I’m talking to Rhain Beutler, CEO and founder of Govalo, a brand that’s reinventing the gifting experience for ecommerce. We talk about: The importance of speaking to users The role of the CEO as both optimist and pessimist Life as a second time founder The loneliness of leadership The desire to build a billion dollar business Website: https://govalo.com/ https://rhianbeutler.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhiankatie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhianbeutler/

Adrian Alfieri, CEO and founder of Verbatim Labs, shares insights on launching a content studio that empowers early-stage teams. He discusses the importance of turning on a "content machine" and utilizing expert interviews as a potent tool for engagement. Discover how he identified a key pain point that inspired his venture and learn the strategic differences between pillar content and SEO. Adrian also reflects on the significance of maintaining a balanced client roster for personal fulfillment while navigating the challenges of scaling his business.

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. This week my guest is Sarah Becker, founder of Becker Talks Money, a business that helps entrepreneurs make a plan for their future by making individually tailored financial plans. Among many things, we discuss: John Bogal’s Enough philosophy Turning a free service for friends into a viable business Creating an online course Marketing through instagram and podcasting Preparing for the launch Tools for building your own online course Sit back and enjoy the show :) https://beckertalksmoney.com/ https://www.instagram.com/beckertalksmoney/

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. This week my guest is Maruti Agarwal, co-founder, and CEO of ShopAgain, a software company that helps e-commerce brands running on Shopify improve their customer retention through machine learning. If you’re a business finding your social media ad spending has suddenly shot through the roof in the last few years, this episode is the one for you. Among many things, we discuss: What customer retention looks like for online brands What most businesses get wrong about retention How Maruti came up with the idea for the business Listening to customers Sales tips for people who non-salespeople Finding mentors, and many more things So sit back and enjoy the show. Links Website - http://shopagain.io/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/marutiagarwal Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marutiagarwal/

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. We’re stepping away from our usual startup focus today, and entering the world of music. My guest is songwriter Jake Brewer, who has just released his first album into the world. Among many things, we discuss: The imposter syndrome of being a musician What it means to define success for yourself The role of the producer in music creation Giving up control of your art The feeling of performing on stage Making money as an artist So sit back and enjoy the show. Links Jake Brewer - Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear - Album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/321BDzYeJQzVy0x0Q2hCy6?si=Li9CqoG_RI6LzoSH8SLSbA Jake's Media company: https://www.frndlymedia.com/ Jake Brewer on  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakebrewermusic/

Hear how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. This week I’m talking with two guests - Rob Palumbo, and Erika Fabian, CEO and Head of Sales respectively at OutPoint App. OutPoint is a SaaS platform built to enable the effective allocation of paid media budgets through automated media mix modelling. We discuss: How OutPoint empowers marketing leaders to make more predictable and sustainable decisions about their ad spend What Predictive Mix Modelling is in relation to advertising Trends in digital and offline advertising Finding their first customer, and how their sales strategy will change as they grow Mistakes they’ve made along the way What the future looks like for OutPoint Site Link https://www.outpoint.app/ Email rob@outpoint.app erika.fabian@outpoint.app Recommended Twitter Account Dr. Julie Gurner’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/drgurner