Leveling Up with Eric Siu

2020 is full of unpredictability. This is a long term strategy that is almost guaranteed to build growth, if you can implement it.  Product Led Growth has worked extremely well for companies like HubSpot. How can you apply it in your own business?

Not enough people in the SaaS world are customer-obsessed, but Derek O’Carroll, CEO of Brightpearl is changing that, and he joins us today to dive into how. Brightpearl is a scalable retail operations platform designed specifically for high growth multi-channel retailers wishing to automate and integrate their e-commerce and accounting operations. Derek got into startups in the 90s and while Senior Vice President of Global Field Sales and Marketing for Norton under Symantec he was responsible for $1.7 billion in global revenue. Today, Derek talks about leaving Symantec to join Brightpearl after looking for an area in the market that was undergoing disruption with a good product but challenges on product/market fit. He gets into what exactly Brightpearl does, how they make money, their deal client types, and their amazing growth metrics since he joined the team. After that, we turn our attention to how Derek manages teams with a focus on communication and the benefits of this approach, before zooming further into one of the biggest takeaways for today: how Brightpearl differentiates themselves by locating functional and non-functional attributes to build into their product. Here Derek talks about the process they went through to arrive at fast deployment, pricing, customer success, and automation. Next up, we chat about changes in customer behavior post-COVID and Brightpearl’s swift response to it, before wrapping things up with our usual rapid-fire questions for our guest. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:50] Startups in B2B/e-commerce Derek was involved in leading up to Brightpearl. [02:21] Complexities Brightpearl manages around the process after a product is bought online. [02:57] The transparent, configurable subscription model Brightpearl uses to make money. [03:56] Brightpearl’s clients: merchants trading across multiple channels with above $1M GMV. [04:30] The thread running through Derek’s projects; differentiation in disruptive spaces. [06:31] Derek’s approach to managing teams focussing on optimizing communication. [10:09] Statistics of Brightpearl’s yearly order value, market location, revenue, and more. [12:00] Functional and non-functional differentiators of Brightpearl’s product. [15:10] Time to value and how Brightpearl’s deployment speed frees client resources. [16:48] The fluidity of customer behavior post-COVID and how Brightpearl has dealt with that.  [20:49] Tools Derek recently added to optimize his business: Slack and Donut. [21:44] A book recommendation from Derek.   Resources From The Interview:   Derek O’Carroll Brightpearl Derek O’Carroll on Twitter Derek O’Carroll Email Symantec Norton   Escaping the Build Trap   Jeff Bezos Oura Ring Peloton Slack Donut   Must read book: Rubicon     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Everbowl is a superfood brand, headed up by their inspiring founder and CEO, Jeff Fenster. Jeff joins us on Leveling Up today to talk about his amazing business and the impressive growth it is experienced in its young life. Jeff unpacks the idea of relationship capital, a concept that has made a huge impact on his success and how he goes about his work. We hear from him about his formative years and how his original plan to be a sports agent did not pan out in the way he initially imagined. Now Jeff aims to help everyone be their best selves through eating and moving the way that we are meant to. This means better, healthier practices throughout the day and that is where his amazing acai bowls come into the picture. They are packed with superfoods and all the stuff your diet might be missing to get you to your peak performance. Jeff generously shares some inside information about the company, his eight minute trick to making the most of his time and why he aims to be the dumbest guy in the room! We also touch on his parallel superfood coffee business, Superfuel Coffee! So for all that and then some, be sure to listen in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:05] The quick and dirty version of Jeff's story leading up to Everbowl. [04:03] Jeff's passion for serial entrepreneurship and health.  [05:53] The products that Everbowl offers and their reliance on real food. [07:05] Employee numbers, 2019 revenue and future prospects for the company. [08:11] The merging of superfood and coffee for something unique to the market. [09:02] Jeff's concept of vertical integration and why more entrepreneurs should be using it.  [11:30] Factors that have contributed to Everbowl's impressive growth. [13:20] Jeff's deep care for relationship building and the idea of relationship capital.  [19:40] How to get started with a great network; Jeff's rules for amassing relationship capital. [22:01] Jeff's overarching mission in his business and life; helping improve lives. [22:51] Daily routines and practices that keep Jeff healthy and happy. [25:55] The main challenge that Jeff has faced in his life as an entrepreneur. [29:06] Jeff's favorite business tool and business book currently! [30:48] The two CEO's that Jeff is most inspired by: Steve Ells and Elon Musk.   Resources From The Interview:   Jeff Fenster Everbowl  Superfuel Coffee  Four Sigmatic  Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal  Tiger Woods Slack Zoom Tim Grover Chipotle Steve Ells Elon Musk Henry Ford   Must read book: Relentless     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

We speak about how your mental health affects your marketing and how to keep it healthy. Having the right mindset is so important for being effective and jumping on opportunities when they arrive, especially at a time like this. Tune in and hear some great hacks for optimizing your well-being, from setting a cap on daily calls to meditating, journaling, and a whole lot more!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:   [00:25] Today’s topic: How Your Mental Health Affects Your Marketing and How to Keep It Healthy. [00:30] Mental health doesn’t just affect marketing, but your overall effectiveness! [00:45] To be able to recognize a good opportunity, one has to be in the right mind frame! [01:25] Actions and habits that affect your life all start with your mental health. [01:55] The stress of the pandemic and how it encourages getting depressed or overworking. [02:56] Setting boundaries about how many calls to do per day. [03:50] Trying to only fill your calendar with things that produce ROI. [04:07] A tip for comparing yourself to others to get perspective and stay level headed. [04:50] Clearing your mind by meditating and taking time off. [05:28] Giving yourself time to be unproductive. [05:56] Setting things in order by journalling in The Five Minute Journal. [06:16] Going outside for a walk and monitoring your HRV using an Oura Ring. [06:55] That’s it for today! [06:56] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information.   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Calm Headspace Peloton The Five Minute Journal Oura Ring  

We have spoken before about the ways in which writing and publishing a book can help you grow your business and authority. It sits alongside other tactics such as hosting a podcast, starting a blog, or creating a YouTube channel. Our guest today is a great example of the power of publishing! We are so happy to have the best-selling author of six books and CEO of Self-Publishing School, Chandler Bolt join us to talk about how you can put your thoughts and experiences into the form of a book and how this can lead to massive growth and revenue for you and your business! Chandler and his company have helped countless people publish their books and he walks us through exactly what his company does. They do not actually publish works, they help authors through the process, making it that much easier for anyone to become an author! Chandler explains why now is a better time than any for you to be writing and self-publishing that book you have been thinking about and we get into the differences between a traditional approach to publishing and the methods that Chandler espouses. For this hugely inspiring exploration of a market that anyone can exploit, listen in with us today on Leveling Up! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:58] Chandler's surprising story about getting into writing and publishing. [02:07] How Self-Publishing School operates and makes money.  [03:00] Numbers from Chandler's business; income, growth and publishing stats. [03:44] One of Chandler's favorite success stories from his publishing work! [05:03] Chandler's business psychology; goal-setting, accountability and transparency. [06:40] The hit-rate Chandler experiences with his goals.  [08:01] Why now is the best time you can publish your own book! [09:20] Free resources and paid services from Self-Publishing School.  [10:21] Traditional publishing versus the self-publishing route; weighing the pros and cons. [12:49] Understanding the idea of a book funnel and how useful it can be.  [15:25] The 'silent salesman' and how a book can generate business for you in the long run. [16:12] Chandler's heavy work ethic — publishing 6 books in 3 years! [17:35] The time that is spent writing a book and getting help with the heavy lifting. [18:46] Writing challenges that Self-Publishing School set for their clients. [20:04] The rebranding of summits as challenges! [20:55] Chandler's approach to scaling companies and his passion for operations. [22:08] Three business book recommendations from Chandler! [23:04] The tool that has improved Chandler's business the most recently.   Resources From The Interview:   Chandler Bolt Self-Publishing School Self-Publishing School Podcast Published  Seth Godin  Inc 5000  Good Day Sacramento Measure What Matters  Isaac Newton Shakespeare  Pat Flynn   New York Times USA Today Wall Street Journal   Russell Brunson    Traffic Secrets From 6 to 7 Figures   ClickFunnels Need to Breathe  Book Launch   7 Figure Principle Podcast  Dan Martell   Keith Cunningham  Asana Slack Standuply   Must read books: Influence, Extreme Ownership, How to Win Friends and Influence People    Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

We have a true legend of digital marketing on the show today. Rich Schefren has done a lot in the marketing space, to put it lightly! He is a pioneer of the modern marketing world and has been a mentor to many of the most famous young faces doing interesting things right now. We are so excited to speak to Rich today as he breaks down his experience in this episode that is absolutely brimming with information. Rich packs so much wisdom into each answer, and his decades of expertise become so apparent that you are definitely not going to want to miss this one! We discuss the discovery of the video sales letter, how he got a billion-dollar testimonial and what it means to be resourceful during difficult times. Rich tells us exactly why he loves his iPad so much, what he learned from the old guard of legendary marketers and how he has gone about laying staff off when it was necessary. We discuss pruning your business, building a strong team through profit-sharing, and the definitive moments from his career, so tune in to hear it all! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:54] A brief background to Rich's work and how he landed up where he is today! [04:58] Working with legendary direct response marketers.  [09:12] Rich's move into coaching and mentoring new faces in the game. [12:15] How writing 'The Internet Business Manifesto' changed Rich's life! [16:02] Resourcefulness and creating value for others; evergreen lessons from Rich. [18:39] Pruning parts of your business and enabling its further growth. [21:42] Rich's strategy for setting up profit-sharing in his company. [27:54] Lessons that Rich learned through layoffs and handling employees. [32:30] Rich's best books about direct response marketing! [34:42] The value Rich found in learning to speed read and his note-taking process.   Resources From The Interview:   Strategic Profits Rich Schefren on Twitter Ryan Deiss  Russell Brunson Zoom Fred Segal American Rag Timeout Jay Abraham Gary Halbert John Carlton Dan Kennedy  Stephen Pierce Gary Vaynerchuk Agora Publishing   The Internet Business Manifesto  Jon Benson ClickBank Charlie Munger  QuickReader Calibre Voice Dream GoodReader Evernote Kindle    Must read books: Breakthrough Advertising     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Here are give you three actionable lessons every marketer can learn from Tim Ferris! We talk about how Tim’s success can in part be attributed to his experimental nature, use of data in the content he produces, and willingness to keep learning! Tune in and hear what you can learn from Tim Ferris today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: Three Actionable Lessons Every Marketer Can Learn From Tim Ferris. [00:32] Experimenting and building a brand by consistently marketing those experiments. [01:26] Don’t make claims! Content that uses data does better than content that doesn’t. [02:33] Tim is an obsessive learner; don’t stop learning no matter how successful you get. [03:27] That’s it for today! [03:29] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information.   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Tim Ferris The 4-Hour Workweek The 4-Hour Chef Warren Buffet Mark Cuban Leave Some Feedback:   What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below   Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Gary Vaynerchuck has been innovating on different marketing strategies for years. But how does all that translate to tactics you can apply to your own business? In this bonus episode, we learn 7 things that Gary Vee does exceptionally well and if you take even one of these tactics and apply to your own business you can see incredible results!

Ryan Levesque, the mastermind behind the Ask Method and founder of bucket.io, shares insights into leveraging quiz funnels for business growth. He emphasizes the power of data collection through interactive quizzes and showcases impressive success stories. Ryan explains how this strategy works for both established brands and startups aiming to build an audience. The conversation also touches on the evolving landscape of networking and events in a post-pandemic world, highlighting innovative approaches to audience engagement.

It is often said that niching down and making your offer specific to a particular need and section of the market is the key to success. Rick Carlson, our guest today believes that this idea is still under-appreciated. Rick is the CEO of SharpSpring, an all-in-one marketing automation platform that has experienced great success in its young life. We hear from Rick about his career in the marketing sphere, what he has chosen to give his attention to and the events leading up to the founding of SharpSpring. We chat about the company's base in Florida and why Rick decided to keep the company in his home state instead of one of the other startup hubs in the US. From there, Rick takes us through how SharpSpring approaches customer acquisition and their own marketing before we talk about finding the right type of customers and how he does this. The conversation ends off with the customary questions, with Rick opting to share his favorite business podcast instead of a book! For all this and a whole lot more from someone who is making great waves in the marketing world, and doing things slightly differently, join us on Leveling Up today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:42] Rick's background in sales, marketing and products, and his experiences in the field. [02:18] The strange story of how SharpSpring became a publicly-traded company.  [04:14] Rick's life in Florida; why he chose to base his company in his hometown. [06:22] SharpSpring's current client base and how they shape up next to their peers. [07:30] SharpSpring's target market and the interesting tactics they use for capturing. [09:01] Rick's tips for getting out there, finding market-fit and working with agencies.  [10:29] The effort that goes into connecting with the right companies and partners. [12:44] Focussing on a specific niche — the reasons for SharpSpring's success.  [14:37] Rick's favorite business podcast, article and tool! [15:55] Why Rick chooses to focus on his own work over following other companies and founders.  Resources From The Interview: Rick Carlson SharpSpring  AVG   Marketo  Act-On Eloqua  Pardot HubSpot Datanyze   Must listen podcast: Manager Tools   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter