
Cubicle to CEO
We ask founders the business questions you can't Google. Cubicle to CEO® brings you weekly "behind the business" case-study interviews with leading entrepreneurs and CEOs who share a specific growth strategy they've successfully tested, how they implemented it, and what the results (and revenue) were. Host Ellen Yin also shares transparent insights about her own journey bootstrapping a media company from a $300 freelance project into millions in revenue.
Latest episodes

Sep 2, 2024 • 48min
262. This “Quiet Launch” Made $12K in 6 Days: How To Sell Something Old as Something New
Feeling bored of doing the same launch over and over in your business, but not the ambition of starting and selling a new offer from scratch?Today’s case study is a test of the perfect in between solution: selling a live cohort of an existing digital course with a low lift launch.Candice Ward, food photographer and monetization coach for other food bloggers and content creators, decided to put a poll up on her IG story asking her followers if they would be interested in a 12 week, implementation-focused VIP coaching cohort of her signature course.After receiving a positive response, she built out her new offer with minimal effort the very next day, selling only to those who had virtually raised their hand on her Instagram stories. By quietly launching only to this exclusive group through Instagram stories and DMs, Candice sold out of all spots, injecting $12K into her business in just 6 days!We’ve got the full scoop on this quiet launch and how you can replicate something similar to refresh your digital courses (and revenue).View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/iW3DYSUsrr6u1S2FGLQfCpF5YY4?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsor!Uplevel your healthy habits with Soursop's Cell + Immunity gummies and shakes! Get 20% when you use code 'CEO20' at https://www.soursopnutrition.com/
Connect with Candice:
6 strategies to pitch with confidence: https://candiceward.mykajabi.com/pl/2147605776
Get coached by Candice: https://candiceward.mykajabi.com/business-coaching
@theconfidentpitch
@eatmorecakebycandice
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 26, 2024 • 59min
261. Suneera Madhani Sold A Billion Dollar Business & Is Building Her Next Unicorn With These Lessons
When is the right time to exit your business?For Suneera Madhani, it was after taking her fintech startup, Stax, from idea to unicorn - a moniker coined for the rare privately-held company that reaches a billion dollar valuation.After selling to private equity and finding a new CEO to lead the company’s next stage of growth, Suneera knew she wanted to return back to the building phase of business.Taking everything she knew about building a billion dollar business, Suneera’s set out to do it again, this time with Worth AI - a company creating the first ever credit score for businesses.In today’s case study on lessons from building a billion dollar brand, Suneera shares the wisdom she took from her exit that she’s applying to this new venture, so you can borrow her hard-earned lessons & hindsight as well.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/2TQtOkZEtS02epBZPV61RS8MbY8?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsors!
Access Sandra Chau's cheat sheet to the 10 must have strategic photos and videos that grow, nurture and increase your sales and bookings at https://schoolofvisualbranding.com/10-must-have-visuals
Uplevel your healthy habits with Soursop's Cell + Immunity gummies and shakes! Get 20% when you use code 'CEO20' at https://www.soursopnutrition.com/
Connect with Suneera:
Get your business' credit score: https://worthscore.com
The CEO School podcast: https://theceoschool.com/the-podcast/
Big Business Energy newsletter: https://theceoschool.co/email-list
Instagram: @suneeramadhani
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 19, 2024 • 50min
260. Scaling From $1M to $6M in 3 Years Without Spending More - The Referral Machine That Drives 85% Of Revenue
I always say, the best business ideas come from looking outside your own industry. Today’s case study affirms just that. In 3 short years, this CEO has 3Xed her revenue without increasing her marketing spend AT ALL. In fact, she’s spending a fraction of what her competitors’ are, with greater success.The client acquisition engine that grew her business from $1 to $6 million? A robust, mostly automated referral network.Vanessa Rissetto is the co-founder and CEO of Culina Health, a revolutionary clinical nutrition care company, giving best-in-class virtual nutrition care covered by insurance. Instead of selling their services directly to the patient, they’ve structured a referral system with doctors and physicians who send their patients directly to them.This referral program has grown by 9x in the last 3 years, generating 85% of the company’s overall revenue. Here’s the kicker though: there are no financial incentives involved for the referral partners.So what motivates the referral partners to keep sending new clients their way? Keep listening to find out.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/y9T7HJatL2JnUoAPmuukHXjDPPE?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsors!
Discover the neuroscience of Flow through an entire library of curated flow playlists! Get immediate access to all existing and future Flow playlists for FREE at: https://www.drjuliacolangelo.com/playlists/
Try the #1 all-in-one E-commerce platform: Shopify! Sign up for a one dollar per month trial period at https://shopify.com/ellen
Connect with Vanessa:
https://culinahealth.com/
Vanessa's IG: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarissettord
Culina's IG: https://www.instagram.com/culinahealth
Vanessa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessarissettoms/
Culina Health's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culinahealth
Vanessa's Twitter: https://x.com/vmrissetto
Culina's Twitter: https://x.com/culinahealth
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 12, 2024 • 54min
259. Should You Ever Work For Free? How Strategic Pro Bono Projects Have Generated Millions In ROI For This Agency
Is it ever a good idea to work for free? Many entrepreneurs wouldn’t consider it, especially after being in business for years, but this CEO makes a solid case for why selective pro bono work pays off - sometimes more than you would have even netted from charging for the original service.Tracy Marlowe, founder of marketing agency Creative Noggin, has consistently taken on 1-2 pro bono projects a year. In today’s case study, Tracy details how she’s made MILLIONS of dollars in ROI over the years with this unconventional marketing strategy, either landing paid contracts with satisfied pro bono clients, or referrals from other businesses who were impressed with her work.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/BziZqzdteytTGuT3X37PW8nCgeo?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsor!FOR A LIMITED TIME: Get 60% off your Babbel subscription at https://babbel.com/ellen
Connect with Tracy:
Email her 👉 tracy@creativenoggin.com
https://www.creativenoggin.com/
Instagram:
@creative_noggin
@tracymmarlowe
Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/creative-noggin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-marlowe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativenoggin
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheCreativeNoggins
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 7, 2024 • 35min
Bonus #54: How to Get Paid to Write for Major Publications with Ericka Andersen
This bonus episode on securing brag-worthy bylines pairs perfectly with Monday's case study on creating viral content for major publications using AI. Ericka Andersen - founder of Pitch and Publish Writing Co. - walks us through exactly how to pitch and get paid by media outlets to write content for them in your area of expertise or interest. Ericka makes six figures a year doing exactly this! Ericka gives us the insider scoop on how to pitch the right person, why it's important to have a strong thesis statement for your proposed article, and the reasons writing your own articles is better than being interviewed or featured in a story.Access the transcript of this episode HERE: https://otter.ai/u/AdK0LzKYHDfSsT7aIi_Doo9NsdA?utm_source=copy_urlConnect with Ericka:
http://pitchandpublish.co/
http://bragworthybylines.com/
Instagram.com/pitchandpublish
Tiktok.com/@pitchandpublish
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes on our private podcast! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 5, 2024 • 1h 1min
258. Creating AI-Powered Viral Headlines Grew His Email List By 10,000 Subscribers From Only 1 Video (& Amassed 5 Million Views Across His Content)
Just in time for the release of the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie, you’ll love the story of how our guest caught the attention of Entrepreneur Magazine with a Wolverine costume and has since built a 9 years-strong content partnership with their publication.Ben Angel is an award-winning and bestselling author, entrepreneur, and influencer with over two decades of experience leveraging emerging technologies for competitive advantage, including AI.In today’s case study, Ben gives us his behind the scenes process for how he leverages AI to create viral content that has garnered more than 5 million views, including one video that grew his email list by 10,000 subscribers.Keep listening to borrow his exact framework for creating headlines designed to trend on whichever publication you create content for (whether you want to be a guest contributor like Ben, or on your own website) and his top tips for leveraging AI - without sounding like everyone else.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/wZsgs46BHPQUtS-n7Nt-c8G8D1g?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsors!
Want to uncover what you need to one-up your next campaign effortlessly? Download your FREE post-launch guide at https://isabellesarley.myflodesk.com/postlaunchguide
Get 20% off your entire Soursop Nutrition order with code 'CEO'! Uplevel your health and wellness journey at https://soursopnutrition.com
Connect with Ben:
https://www.thewolfofai.co/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/ben-angel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourwaytothetop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benangelauthor/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/benangel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/benangel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@benangelauthor
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 29, 2024 • 41min
257. [Q2 2024 Quarterly Review] Does Every Expense Need an ROI? Revenue Stacking, Monetizing IP Beyond Courses & More
Our Q2 2024 review is here! These quarterly review episodes contribute to our mission of creating financially transparent content - sharing what's working in our business, what we've learned, and what we're celebrating.For more in-depth, behind the business case study episodes from within our business, check out the C-Suite: https://ellenyin.com/csuiteView the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/OUJFnhtmBbrs2sbaBPXL6ZGQjOU?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsors!
Learn how to sell (and scale!) your course or program on autopilot, every single day with Nicki's free video training: https://circuitsalessystem.com/ceo
Try the #1 all-in-one E-commerce platform: Shopify! Sign up for a one dollar per month trial period at https://shopify.com/ellen
Get 20% off your entire Soursop Nutrition order with code 'CEO'! Uplevel your health and wellness journey at https://soursopnutrition.com
Links mentioned in this episode:
Our previous Income Report episodes: https://ellenyin.com/incomereport
Try 30 days of Flodesk (our favorite email marketing platform for unlimited subscribers & emails at one low, flat monthly rate): https://flodesk.com/c/ELLEN50
Connect with @paige.hulse.law
Business valuation teaser: https://link.chtbl.com/wVYzFuYy
Connect with Worttth: https://worttth.com
Mrs. Oregon America episode: https://link.chtbl.com/-mRkSgZr
Selling out our business retreat teaser: https://link.chtbl.com/nwl_VGEE
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes every month! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 snips
Jul 22, 2024 • 48min
256. The LinkedIn Content Strategy That Sold Out Her New Offer To Mostly First-Time Buyers ($45K+ In 2 Weeks)
Amy Posner, a seasoned online business owner and mentor, shares her journey into LinkedIn to connect with creative freelancers. She reveals her daily content strategy that led to 414 email subscribers and 708 followers in just six months. Within two weeks, she sold out her new program and earned over $45K, mostly from first-time buyers. Amy also discusses engaging content techniques, the importance of relationship-building in sales, and strategic approaches to overcome decision paralysis. Her insights offer a blueprint for leveraging LinkedIn's potential.

Jul 15, 2024 • 55min
255. ‘Best Of’ Hiring: 8 Top Tips On The Who, What, When, and Where of Hiring
We’re rounding up our 8 best tips and guest insights on all things hiring, from pre-hiring essentials, to successful delegation, to finding the right people to bring on your team. I’ll introduce each sound bite with the name of the guest and the original episode number, in case you want to go back and listen to the full interview. All referenced episodes will also be linked for you in the show notes below for easy access.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/STlBAzdKb67YsLqZdHomcO_m1v0?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsor!
Try the #1 all-in-one E-commerce platform: Shopify! Sign up for a one dollar per month trial period at https://shopify.com/ellen
Want to increase your financial competence? Go to https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/gift to get your free gift!
Links to the featured episodes:
EP 93 w/ Say Gabriel: https://link.chtbl.com/8suBwwrB
EP 252 w/ Emily Reagan: https://link.chtbl.com/TAw4NxBb
EP 223 w/ Rachel Harris: https://link.chtbl.com/lU-TYwCw
EP 123 w/ Tyler J. McCall: https://link.chtbl.com/mWPAAkAO
EP 195 w/ Heather Brown: https://link.chtbl.com/38TylNUR
EP 168 w/ Daina Trout: https://link.chtbl.com/xVpIp6ZI
EP 254 w/ Danielle Hayden: https://link.chtbl.com/oAH9rkyw
EP 201 w/ Pauleanna Reid: https://link.chtbl.com/7d_PuYjh
Check out our previous roundup episodes:
Email Marketing Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/zW5tKLM2
Podcast Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/CUa_hAXC
Launching Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/jz5RbIv0
Pitching Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/sllNCKMT
Lead Generation Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/dbjNLFH1
Conversion Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/AYNw_c2w
Customer Feedback Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/lTKbWBYY
Marketing Roundup: https://link.chtbl.com/AkgrDVmg
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 8, 2024 • 56min
254. Is Underspending Hurting Your Business Growth? Breakdown of What This 7 Figure CEO Spends $113K Outsourcing
The media tends to portray women as over-spenders who are bad with money, causing Kickstart Accounting founder Danielle Hayden to notice that many of her new clients would come in asking “where can I cut back?”But Danielle, who runs a 7 figure bookkeeping and accounting agency, challenges that narrative by examining where women are actually underspending in their businesses in a way that is prohibitive to reaching their goals.In this case study, we dissect how Danielle is spending $113,223 on outsourced services for her business this year to drive growth, and why she has no desire to bring these roles in-house.We’ll itemize every outsourced service, how much return she gets on these investments, and the process she uses to discern which roles should be hired in-house versus outsourced to an expert.View the transcript for this episode at: https://otter.ai/u/UhFUoVcYoCFZ8XHV8H4YB5V-wMo?utm_source=copy_urlThank you to our sponsor!
Get 20% off your entire Soursop Nutrition order with code 'CEO'! Uplevel your health and wellness journey at https://soursopnutrition.com
Connect with Danielle:
FREE GIFT: https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/gift/
IG: https://instagram.com/kickstart accounting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-hayden-kickstartaccounting/
Podcast: https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/businessbythebooks
Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: https://ellenyin.com/quizIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:
Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so we can repost you.
Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo
Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.
Join our C-Suite membership to get bonus episodes! Check out everything our members get at https://ellenyin.com/csuite
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices