Leveling Up with Eric Siu

In a world that seems almost fully-focussed on online and digital marketing, it may come as a surprise to some that physical means are still used to grow companies and for them to become known. PostcardMania is a very successful company in this line of work, using direct mail marketing to help their clients get the word out on their offers. They are a really great example of how older techniques and styles of marketing can still work in a contemporary context. The company was founded 21 years ago by Joy Gendusa, who we are so happy to welcome to the show today. They mostly serve small businesses and are up to about 60 million in revenue this year! Their pricing model is competitive but not comparatively cheap, and Joy explains how she pegs this. We talk about the history of the company and the organic growth that Joy has experienced over the last decades. She opens up about her target audience and the ways that have provided her with the biggest opportunities to scale and grow her team. Joy credits a lot of her success to her team, believing she leads a group of superheroes! We discuss their company culture, important practices and some of the perks and facilities at the office. So for all of this great stuff and to learn about a slightly different model for marketing, 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] Joy's journey with PostcardMania and her learning curve with marketing. [03:11] The client-base for the company and the services they offer to them.  [04:52] Some of the important numbers from PostcardMania and how much mail they send. [06:36] The fee-structure at PostcardMania and the ways in which they make money. [07:46] The areas in which the company experiences the most growth and best results. [09:39] Struggles over the years; leading the ship through rough waters. [12:28] Joy's thoughts on CEOs’ groups, a bad experience she had and her love for her team. [14:48] Growing and evolving with the company; Joy's philosophy towards progress.  [51:52] PostcardMania's company culture and the unique perks that Joy offers her employees. [16:42] Monday meetings and the agenda for these weekly events at the company.  [18:06] Entrepreneurship and marriage; the benefits of a personal partnership with overlap. [19:40] Joy's growth practices; books, conversations, and pivoting. [20:42] A selection of a favorite business book and tool of Joy’s. [21:23] Why Joy is not really following any particular companies or founders currently. Resources From The Interview: Joy Gendusa   PostcardMania    Everywhere Small Business Free Zapier Subscription  Leveling Up 6c Postcard Special Shark Tank Alibaba Wade Foster   Inc. Magazine  Measure What Matters TedTalk     Basecamp   Postcard Marketing In An Online World: Success Simplified! Must read book: Measure What Matters   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    

Before thinking of building a Amazon or Apple, you have to think of your business as a 'launchpad' first. That's because even if you have a rocket, you can't go to space without a launchpad. We'll talk about the concept and how to do it.

When it comes down to it, SaaS businesses are valued on their ARR, but surprisingly, some still choose to manage the metrics and analytics that come as a byproduct of their order to cash process themselves. What they need is a platform, because having a single source of truth that drives all these metrics can’t be understated. Today’s guest is Tim McCormick, CEO of SaaSOptics, a platform that provides this very service. Specifically, SaaSOptics is a subscription management platform that provides early-stage and growth SaaS businesses with subscription billing, revenue recognition, financial reporting, and robust SaaS analytics. In our conversation with Tim today, we get into his career in tech running SaaS businesses in the security and energy management space, and the multiple exits he has orchestrated. He then dives into what SaaSOptics does and how they run their business to keep seeing such big growth. He gets into how SaasOptics automates the order to cash process, effectively sitting between the CRM and the general ledger. Tim talks about the metrics SaasOptics provides, their value-based pricing model, and how they balance marketing and sales in order to grow. We hear about the structure of their sales team, and their model of product cycles based on market changes too. There are around 30 000 B2B SaaS businesses globally thus the services SaaSOptics provides can’t come at a better time, so tune in to find out what it's all about! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:47] Tim’s career in marketing and exits in SaaS tech to founding SaaSOptics. [02:41] Why Tim keeps on exiting out: loving operating and helping the younger generation. [03:41] Vulnerability scanning and how it bridged Tim’s work in security and energy managing. [05:40] What SaaSOptics do to automate revenue recognition for smaller SaaS businesses. [08:00] Metrics SaaSOptics provides to help their clients get financing. [09:45] How SaaSOptics makes money by billing proportionately to clients’ revenue. [12:16] Ways SaaSOptics is growing: a blend of marketing/sales, and an account-based model.  [13:35] The structure of the SaaSOptics sales team and their service cycles. [14:35] Which revenue point customers start using SaaSOptics at: immediately if they’re smart!  [17:05] The relationship between product innovations and watching the market. [19:07] How Tim conducts his market research by assessing potential clients’ systems. [22:16] Tim’s favorite books: The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door, etc. [22:44] A favorite business tool of Tim’s: FullStory. [23:59] Companies Tim is following: Tesla, Pendo, and Salesloft. Resources From The Interview: Tim McCormick SaasOptics Traction Conference Internet Security Systems IBM Tom Noonan Cisco David Ryan Netsuite Quickbooks Salesforce   The Mom Test   FullStory Tesla Pendo Kyle Porter SalesLoft   Must read book:  The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door   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    

Tune in to hear some incredible tactics to get your consulting business up off the ground! These strategies will apply for agencies and consultants alike.

We talk about why community is the ultimate unfair advantage and why now is the best time to build one!

HubSpot has grown into one of the most credible names in the marketing and sales game in the last few years and we are lucky enough to have Kieran Flanagan, their VP of Marketing on the show today! If you listen to this podcast it is more than likely you know a lot about HubSpot already as we often refer to them, as happy customers of the company and having had a few of their team on the show already. The focus of today's conversation is Kieran's work on the freemium project at HubSpot and the impact that this initiative had on the company and their progress going forward. We speak about freemium and who it might work for; Kieran believes it is not a surefire way to success for every kind of company and links its usefulness to HubSpot to their product-led model. We also get some great insight into the company and how they approach tasks and challenges and Kieran breaks down their pod method for creating teams. Tune in to get it all! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:19] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:08] Kieran's career path, moving from coding to marketing and SaaS. [01:54] The GrowthTLDR Podcast that Kieran cohosts currently.  [03:18] Kieran's place at HubSpot and a little of the company's journey. [05:04] The freemium offer from HubSpot and Kieran's experiences on this project. [09:25] Kieran's position on freemium offers and who they might serve. [11:30] Reasons that HubSpot has experienced its particular successes. [12:28] Kieran's systems for the marketing team for growth and customer acquisition. [16:33] The pod structure for integrations with companies and promotion.  [19:04] Who gets selected for each pod and how the process works at HubSpot. [19:57] Content and playbooks; models for automated cluster building and more. [23:25] Courses and the academy that are readily available to customers. [24:51] Kieran's use of podcasts for learning and improving in the realm of growth. [25:52] Team-focussed strategies and creating an empowering environment. [26:04] Kieran's favorite business book and most-used tool for his job! Resources From The Interview: Kieran Flanagan on Twitter HubSpot  SaaStock GrowthTLDR Podcast Steve Jobs SalesForce Turing Fest Loom   Must read book: Sprint   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    

Recently, a couple of entrepreneur friends (+ their families) did something genius that I thought I'd share. Everything is negotiable. During times where the economy is practically shut down, you can find deals in almost every sector. Whether it's booking a great AirBnb to get a peaceful getaway or getting discounts on that software you always wanted to try, these tips will help you destress and enjoy the moment.

There are only two types of entrepreneurs right now:   The fearful and the excited.   I spoke to over 98 entrepreneurs recently and those are the two buckets that instantly stuck out.   And it makes sense: people are afraid of losing their businesses right now. Think about all the restaurant owners that spent 20+ years putting their blood sweat and tears into the business. Or the store in the shopping mall that has had no choice but to close it doors.   Many of those entrepreneurs are paralyzed by fear right now and aren't sure what to do next.   On the other hand, I spoke to two close friends over the weekend and the mindset is world's apart:   They're genuinely excited.   Why? Because they see the world differently:   Instead of being upset at lost revenues, they're pumped about new opportunities. Instead of being worried about the short term outlook, they know they'll emerge stronger than ever. They take EXTRA good care of their team during this time (even the ones that were let go).   If you can be excited, you'll have an unfair advantage that will carry you far.

Today using funnels for conversions seems like a vital part of marketing your products but so much of that is thanks to our guest for today, Russel Brunson. Russel is the CEO of Click Funnels, a SaaS product that provides everything you need to market, sell, and deliver your products and services online through funnels. Click Funnels is approaching $200 million in revenue and they haven't raised a cent in venture capital, so our conversation with Russel today is mostly about the funneling strategies they use to make this possible. First up though, Russel tells the story of Click Funnels’ conception, which involves his initial entrepreneurial ambition of selling DVDs containing instructions for making potato guns. After learning about sales funnels through this venture, and then developing Click Funnels, Russel found that nobody even knew what sales funnels were. We hear from him about how this problem led him to write all his books, which both act as instruction manuals for using and optimizing funnels but also behave as funnels for his company. This leads Russel to speak about the other clever ways he converts people into customers and keeps Click Funnels growing, such as webinars and challenges. Other interesting tidbits from today’s episode are the stories of how Russel made $3.2 million selling Click Funnels to the audience of Grant Cardone’s 10X event, and how Apple completely blocked his number one podcast. As you’ll find out in this episode, Russel’s love of storytelling is a key feature of his success, so make sure you catch this interview.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:22] An intro into Russel, Click Funnels, and their revenue despite raising no venture dollars. [00:57] Potato gun sales funnels and how that led to Russel’s partner coding Click Funnels. [02:24] How Click Funnels makes money through tiered SaaS subscriptions. [03:04] Russel’s use of funnels in such a way that Click Funnels doesn’t pay for growth. [04:24] Funnel shelf lives and how Russel rotates through different funnels to keep fresh. [06:29] How Russel’s books guided customers to see they needed his product. [06:30] Using, optimizing and getting people into funnels: Russel’s three books. [10:16] Marketing Click Funnels to different communities through Funnel Hack events. [12:09] How customers’ need for Click Funnels informs Russel’s view on giving free content. [13:46] Why Russel shut down his lucrative mastermind at the top of his funnel. [14:28] Russel’s love of storytelling and why he wants Click Funnels to be worth $1 billion. [15:15] Storytelling over techno-babble: learning how to sell your product. [17:11] How Russel sold $3.2 million worth of SaaS on stage one year and failed the next. [20:13] Russel’s confusion around why his podcast got choked by Apple. [17:11] The top three funnels that work the best: books, webinars, and challenges. [21:57] Timeframes for when Russel makes new funnels. [22:26] Russel’s must-read books and favorite business tools. Resources From The Interview: Click Funnels Russel Brunson   DotCom Secrets Expert Secrets Traffic Secrets Unlock the Secrets   Funnel Hacking Live Gabe Schillinger 10X Growth Con Traffic Secrets Website Expert Secrets Website Secret Funnel Strategy Webinars One Funnel Away Salesforce Opidis Joovv   Must read book: Behind the Cloud, American Kingpin   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    

Should you create content in today's climate? In today's episode Eric talks about how to deal with imposter syndrome and how to build a habit around making content. During these unprecedented times, Eric is opening up a live Q+A to help you protect your mental clarity and grow your business. You see, it doesn't matter how good you are at marketing and sales if your mind isn't screwed on right during turbulent times. If your mind isn't screwed on right, you're screwed. Your mindset will affect your diet, how often you train, how you sleep, how you communicate and much more. Sometimes, life comes at you and you have to learn how to weather the storm. That's the theme for right now: to navigate the rough seas.