Startup Slingshot Radio

While most startup CEOs won’t admit it publicly, they are scared. They scared they don’t have what it takes.They are scared they are going to be forced to give up the reigns.They are scared they are going to mess it all up. They are scared because they don’t know how to succeed in the role as the CEO. That’s where Joel Trammell comes in. Joel is an experienced entrepreneur, author, and blogger who has sold his companies for $230M. During our discussion, Joel shares a methodology you can use to become an effective CEO.

If you want to succeed in building a successful startup, it’s crucial that you to understand where you are and where you are going. While having a vision of what you want to create and a product roadmap is great, it is not enough. In addition, you must internalize where your company falls in the startup maturation process. Doing so will enable you to make better decisions and secure the proper support for your company. That’s where today’s guest comes in. Justin is the CEO & Founder Thinktiv, a company that has helped over 200 startups launch and grow. During our discussion, Justin breaks down the four phases he sees startup go through and shares with you the problems that are faced in each phase, how startups are successful in transitioning from one phase to the next phase, and so much more. If you’re serious about succeeding, listen to the interview with Justin Petro to get the insider-knowledge and strategies to startup success.

In this episode, I talk with Brett Hurt. Brett is an accomplished entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. Among many accomplishments, he’s the co-founder of Coremetrics, which was acquired by IBM and Bazaarvoice, which he took public.   During our time together, I focused on asking questions that were crafted to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of what can make/break you as a startup. You won’t want to miss the answers Brett reveals. Enjoy!

Most businesses stall just as they are getting started. For the founders, it can be demoralizing. You poured your blood, sweat, and tears into a business you now must shut down. For many founders, that certainly means a hit to the ego and the pocketbook. For others it means going back to a job they hate. To help you avoid a similar fate, I sat down with Chris Taylor. Chris is the Founder and CEO of Square Root, a company FORTUNE magazine named the 15th Best Small Company to Work. During our time together, we go back to the beginning, before all of the awards, and talk about how he got his business off the ground including everything from how he vetted his idea to how he sold his first deal.  Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Rudy Prince. Rudy is a veteran entrepreneur and the cofounder and CEO of multiple venture-backed startups including eFax, which he took public. During our discussion, we dug into 11+ mistakes all founders should be aware of and avoid if they want to be successful. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Gary Hoover. Gary is the teacher, mentor, and experienced entrepreneur. He is the founder of BOOKSTOP, which he sold to Barnes & Noble, Hoovers, Inc, which he sold to Dun & Bradstreet and his current venture BigWig Games. During our discussion, we dive headfirst into what makes a great company and discuss strategies you can take from great companies and implement in your startup immediately. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Neelan Choksi. Neelan is an entrepreneur that has been instrumental in the founding of three companies that were acquired by the likes of Amazon, VMware, and BEA Systems. During our discussion, we dive into why companies are acquired and how it all goes down. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Bryon Reese of Knowingly. Byron is an entrepreneur, futurist, and author known for his big, innovative ideas about the future. During our discussion, we dive headfirst into what the future will be like, how we should be thinking about it, and how you, the listener, can take advantage of it. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Ken Cho. Ken is an experienced entrepreneur and the cofounder of multiple venture-backed startups including his most recent venture People Pattern. During our discussion, we dig into how to think about strategy inside of startups including everything from what it is and what goes into it, to what to implement and communicate it. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Yvonne Tocquigny. Yvonne is an experienced businesswoman and founder of Tocquigny, a successful digital advertising agency. During our discussion, she answers many of the most frequently asked questions by you, the audience. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Ross Buhrdorf. Ross is an experienced technical leader and currently the CTO of HomeAway, which boasts a development team that he’s helped grow to over 300 developers. During our discussion, we cover everything from how to find a technical co-founder and how to build an awesome developer culture, to how to scale your development team. Enjoy! 

In this episode, I talk with Mellie Price. Mellie is a serial entrepreneur and Managing Director of Capital Factory, an Austin, Texas-based incubator and coworking space. During our discussion, we talk about how to build your early-stage team, including what to look for in your in potential team members, where to find them, and how to vet them. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Dean Drako. Dean is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Barracuda Networks, a company that he took public and is now worth over $2 billions. During our discussion, we talk about the joys and sorrows of starting a company and dig into the skills every founder needs to have to be successful. We also cover what sets him apart as an entrepreneur and where founders waste time early in the formation of their company. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Steve Sanderson of Rackspace. Steve is an expert on and practitioner of the lean startup methodology. During our discussion, we give founders everything they need to know to get started with the lean startup methodology inside their companies from what it is to where to people mess up. Enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Rich Warwick of Plum. Rich is an experienced executive and currently the COO at Plum, Inc. During our discussion, we give founders a crash course on operations for both hardware and software startups. If you want to become a better operator, listen to this interview. Enjoy!